Light the Way
by MadMooMe
Summary: Stiles and Lydia had been through a lot together. Somehow forming a real friendship in the middle of all the chaos swirling around them. But in a rare moment of relative peace they start to question whether friendship is enough for them or are they looking for someting more.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own anything in the Teenwolf world. This story is just for fun.**

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><p><strong>Lydia<strong>

Lydia sat watching the morning sun stream through the classroom window. Rays fell across the text books open on her desk, illuminating paragraphs on the advantages and disadvantages of a free market economy. The golden glow begging her to find some motivation in the topic.

Coach was marching between the desks spouting rhetoric on the injustices of the rich getting richer. Somehow poor Greenberg yet again managed to feature amid the animated rants.

The whole thing made her smile. It seemed so long ago since she had experienced a day like this. Normal. Boring. Average. Her supernatural alter ego was on hiatus, no funny feelings, no wanting to scream, no finding dead bodies. For once she was just plain old Lydia Martin, high school senior.

In reality nothing had changed. Scott was trying to control Liam who was still struggling coming to terms with his new abilities. Deputy Parrish was working his way through the bestiary trying to discover what he was. Derek was off somewhere figuring out his new transformation skills and Kira was trying to hide her bad-ass skills behind the facade of awkward teen. She was their very own Clark Kent.

But the important thing was that for the first time in what felt like years, no one was trying to kill them. Lydia breathed in the surrounding calm with the knowledge that no-one was hunting them down and tried to concentrate on the lesson.

The heavenly beams gradually moved as the sun crossed the sky and Lydia found herself following their trajectory. Turning a little to her right she watched the glow fall on Stiles, reflecting off his pale skin. The whole day was reminding her of how life used to be before everything started to change. How she dated the captain of the Lacrosse team, how her life revolved around designer shoes and throwing the town's best birthday party. And how she spent her days trying to ignore the boy currently sat next to her.

Stiles Stilinski had always been a bit of a loser. A social outcast, a nobody. But one thing she couldn't deny was that he'd never been easy to ignore. The boy was always there. A blur in her peripheral vision, like a persistent wasp buzzing frantically in every direction or an over wound clockwork toy, a mass of unstoppable energy.

But as she looked across at him now, bathed in sunlight, she suddenly realised just how much he'd changed. That round baby face that framed his immaturity was gone. Replaced instead with lean angles that matched the sombre expression he now often wore.

His head rested, propped up on an elbow, eyes half closed trying desperately to feign interest in Coach's lecture. There Lydia noted another change. The arm holding up his head flexed with muscle. The boy who was once all gangly limbs unable to hold the weight of his own backpack now held himself with such strength.

Lastly there were those dark freckles, those moles that dotted his face and neck. They were like a signature on his pale skin. Lydia's eyes followed them across his neckline until she couldn't stop her self wondering just how far down his body they went. She pulled herself away from the images after realising she was biting her bottom lip.

Stiles took that moment to look over and smile at her. Not a quick fleeting smirk but that big goofy grin he'd had since the third grade. Lydia couldn't help but mirror it back to him. It seemed that some thing's hadn't changed about the boy that she'd known since forever. She breathed in that familiar sight of him , returning his gaze until it began to linger. Stiles too held the stare, that grin losing some of its childishness, changing into something that held a little more depth. The growing intensity caused a blush to rise in Lydia's cheeks halted only by a sudden interruption.

"Stilinski!" Coach's voice boomed out across the room making Stiles almost fall off his chair at the outburst.

"What have I just been talking about?" he challenged the daydreaming youth.

Stiles sat up straight looking a little uncomfortable at being singled out in the class. He managed one last quick glance over at the beautiful girl to his left before turning his attention to the Coach.

"You were telling us, _you_ were the one who actually invented the stay-on ring tab on soda cans and that _you_ should be reaping the benefits of that discovery and getting the praise for reducing litter worldwide".

Lydia allowed herself a little smirk. Life had changed so much for them over the last few years but Stiles had always had an answer for everything. That 'smart mouth' of his getting him in more trouble than everything else combined.

Coach just stared down at the 'know-it-all' kid, his cold eyes refusing to let the barely _average_ lacrosse player get the last word.

"Ok, then smart-ass. Can you tell me why your little girlfriend is not in class today?"

That light, mischievous twinkle that Stiles had been wearing changed to something a little darker at the mention of Malia. He shook his head at the Coaches question.

"No I can't, I don't know where she is." came his honest answer in a tone clearly filled with unease.

Lydia watched as Stiles slouched down in this chair. His mood taking a darker feel as his thoughts obviously turned to Malia.

The strawberry blonde momentarily felt a strange emotion in the pit of her stomach at the mention of Stiles girlfriend. She couldn't put a name to the sensation, but most people would have called it jealousy.

Lydia had convinced herself that she'd never looked at Stiles in a romantic way. He had always been a kind of lost puppy that followed her around school waiting to be noticed. Her mind wasn't ready to accept the way she had just been looking at him in class.

She reasoned that any strange feelings must be side effects of being without a boyfriend for so long. Maybe it was time to remedy that. There was a certain deputy down at the station that had caught her eye and he conveniently needed help in discovering who he was. Lydia felt she would be able to offer him some assistance in that department.

The bell rang ending the lesson and she watched Stiles bolt out of the door before the last chimes could be heard. Lydia followed in a more orderly fashion stopping by her locker just a few steps down the corridor. She watched as Scott approached Stiles while putting away her books.

"Hey!" Scott called out to his best friend.

Stiles was already on his phone trying to get hold of Malia. He looked back to Scott as the call just continued to ring out.

"I don't know what to do Scott" he began, concern stretched across his face.

"She's becoming obsessed in finding her mother. I can't ….I can't control her, one minute she's there beside me and then I wake up and she's gone and I don't see her for days." His hand brushed across his forehead, an act of frustration.

Lydia watched from a distance guessing the phone call had gone to voice mail and seeing Stiles physically stop himself from throwing the handset across the hallway in anger. Scott placed a hand of his friend's shoulder trying to calm him a little.

"Listen, if she's not home by this evening, I'll call the gang and we'll go out and find her" Scott said trying to offer Stiles some hope.

Stiles nodded in gratitude and his shoulders relaxed a little knowing that he had his best friend had his back as always. Then he noticed Lydia over by the locker.

"Hey, Lydia!" he called out, jogging a little to catch up as she closed her locker to move to the next class.

"Got any plans tonight?" he asked, stumbling to keep up as Lydia marched ahead in her usual confident manner. Her long hair bouncing around her shoulders as she glided down the hall.

"I said I would help the deputy read through the bestiary tonight" she answered not stopping to engage in conversation with him.

"You are going to see Parrish again?, You know for a fairly intelligent guy, he seems to need a hell of a lot of help and taking an awful long time figuring out what he is" he said, some of the words spoken with a little venom in them.

Now Lydia did stop walking and turned to face him for a moment. Her eyes narrowed, easily noting the jealous tone to his words even though she struggled to notice the same sensation within herself. She watched him take a step back, a lump in this throat formed as he swallowed hard realising how inappropriate his words sounded when he had a girlfriend that he cared about, a lot.

"It's just that we are going to go and search for Malia tonight and could really do with all the help we can get. If you finish early with the deputy maybe you can swing by" this time his words were quiet and a little pleading.

"I'll try to see what I can do" Lydia replied weakly and watched as Stiles turned and jogged back up to Scott who was waiting for him to go on the Lacrosse Practice.

'_I'll try to see what I can do' _Who was she kidding? Of course she would be there helping him find Malia. That boy made it his life's work to help his friends when they needed it, who was she to offer anything less in return.


	2. Chapter 2

**Stiles**

"You suck!" someone in the offensive line shouted as Stiles pulled himself off the floor for the fourth time. Removing grass from the grill on his helmet he couldn't disagree with the comment. He did indeed suck. Big time.

He had spent all day trying to convince himself that Malia was fine. That even though she hadn't contacted him in a couple of days didn't mean anything was wrong. But he had kidded himself. He was worried about her and couldn't seem to stop his over active imagination from thinking bad things had happened to her.

Scott pulled his friend by the helmet until they were back stood side by side. Shoulders square, facing the queue of players waiting to barge through the two of them to get to goal.

"Come on dude, you're making me look bad" his friend playfully said as they got ready to try and push back another charging jock.

Stiles took in a deep breath and dug his shoes into the dirt, readying himself to take on Wilson, a particularly large sophomore. He did his best to clear his mind long enough to hold strong against the kid. But Wilson chose not to go for goal or try to push through the middle of the two seniors but instead just went straight for Stiles, barreling into his side sending him straight to the cold ground again.

Stiles was winded pretty bad and could feel throbbing in his ribs from the throw down. He was exhausted and shouldn't have been able to get back up.

But he did get back up and fast.

Wilson had unknowingly been the final straw for Stiles and pure anger seemed to pump through his veins as he squared up to the cocky jock.

"Ok, you want to do this? Right, let's go" Stiles bellowed at his team-mate, pushing him in the chest hard enough for Wilson to stumble backwards.

Scott quickly arrived between them trying to calm his best friend, but Stiles was not one of his out of control wolves. That Alpha influence that controlled Liam and Isaac wasn't working on the very human Stiles. Scott tried to hold him back, shocked at the strength his friend used in pulling out of his grip.

"Stilinski!" Coach's yell seemed to be an octave higher as he ploughed across the field towards the feuding pair.

"Hit the showers, you are done for the day" he ordered to a fuming Stiles.

"You too Wilson, and if you pull another stunt like that, you are off the team"

The Coach turned to face Scott quickly realising a potential problem in his decision to send two angry teenagers off somewhere unsupervised.

"McCall, Go and make sure your boyfriend doesn't get in anymore trouble" he swiftly insisted before turning his attention back to the rest of his team.

Scott nodded then jogged ahead off the field ready to catch up to Stiles. But the locker-room only revealed one occupant and that was Wilson, his friend was nowhere to be seen.

Stiles was too tightly wound to go back into the school and just couldn't wait till evening to find Malia. So to kill both birds with one stone he bypassed the locker room and decided to walk home giving him the fresh air to calm himself and clear his head enough to organise a plan in finding his girlfriend.

He took in deep breath as he pounded the pavement away from the school. His cleats skidding against the asphalt underfoot. He had scared himself on that field. That anger that he felt towards Wilson was not him.

There was a time not so long ago when he wouldn't have even considered retaliating against a douche like Wilson. But it seemed after fighting against kanima's, ruthless werewolves, hunters, assassins and even an evil version of himself, Stiles just didn't have that same sense of fear he used to have.

His fear now centred around a feeling of helplessness in protecting those he cared about. That brought him back to thinking about Malia Tate. They had met in Eichen House. The two had found each other in a place were they both desperately needed a friend. But she was wild. She had lived for so long, alone in the forest that this new life in the human world was hard for her.

Stiles watched her try and work within in the boundaries of civilised life but she often found the rules frustrating. She struggled with tact and diplomacy, failing to understand why people's 'feelings' were hurt when she expressed her opinion. She didn't understand why she had to go to school, why she didn't have a choice in it.

Most of all she struggled with patience. Stiles had been slowly gathering facts in finding her mother but Malia didn't want to wait. She kept taking the smallest of clues and disappearing to investigate where they led.

The bottom line was, Malia Tate was hot and sexy and could do things that made Stiles very, very happy. But help was something she didn't really need. She was happy to do things alone where Stiles' whole life was about trying to help and protect his friends. If he was honest with himself he couldn't see the two of them lasting long-term.

That thought made him a little sad as he continued on his long walk home. There was another thought that was residing in the back of his mind and wouldn't quite go away. That was the way Lydia had looked at him in Economics class.

He had spent most of his life reading into looks, smiles and words Lydia directed at him and it had brought him nothing but disappointment. He had realised the night they had tried to kill the monster Jackson Whitmore had become that Lydia Martin would never look at him the way she looked at Jackson.

Since then he had settled for her friendship. He'd even managed to get a kiss out of it that would stay with him forever. But that look she had given him in last period was a lot like the way she used to look at Jackson. He knew that thinking about it would only send him back to the old days of disappointment, so he just stored it back to the furthest part of his brain to think about at a less confusing time.

It was then he heard a car pull up beside him. It was Lydia with Scott riding shotgun. The Toyota crawled along beside Stiles while he continued to walk on.

"You taking a very long way round to the shower room" Scott called out through Lydia's open window. But Stiles couldn't find a smile for his friends lame joke.

"I can't wait till this evening to find her, I need to start now" he told them seriosuly.

The two car occupants took a moment to decide whether to return to school or stick with Stiles. Of course they would go with their friend. They were a pack and this it what they did for each other.

"Get in the car Stiles" Lydia insisted and he gratefully climbed in the back seat.

He filled them in on all he knew about where he thought Malia might go. Told them about the clues he'd so far discovered about her mother. The first thing they needed to do was stop by his bedroom and get some paperwork together. So that was where the three of them headed first.

On reaching the Stilinski residence Stiles jogged up the stairs to his room with his two friends in tow, discussing his theories and ideas with an enthusiasm much more like the normal Stiles. He opened his bedroom door and then came to an abrupt halt.

There sat crossed legged on the middle of his bed was Malia. She had her head down reading a magazine and slowly looked up to where the three of them stood and smiled.

"You're back!" Stiles stated a little shocked to see her there.

"Are you ok?" he added, casting an eye over her for any physical injuries.

"Yeah, I'm fine" she replied brightly

"Didn't you get my calls?" Stiles asked as he stood by the door looking down at the girl who looked as though she had been sat there all along and not missing for the past few days.

She looked on, a little puzzled at his question then pulled a cell phone from her back pocket and studied the scroll of missed calls.

"Oh sorry I had it turned off and didn't realise you'd called" she replied in a nonchalant manner

Stiles stepped back for a moment. Light fading from his eyes, as he swallowed hard.

"You've been gone for days, I was worried about you" he said, the words spoken as more of a mumble.

Malia looked into his eyes confusion filling her own as she simply asked

"Why?".

Stiles felt like he had been punched. He had spend days concerned about her safety and she just didn't understand what he had been going through. It wasn't her fault, human emotion wasn't easy for her.

They had fun and fooled around together and it was that moment that he realised he wanted more than that, he wanted a relationship and he wasn't sure she was anywhere near ready for that.

He glanced behind him and caught Lydia looking back at him. Her face was full of concern and sorrow. _Was heartache so easy to read across his face?._

"It seems I don't need your help anymore" he said to his best friend and Lydia. Scott patted him on the shoulder and then they left leaving Stiles to think about what he was going to do next.


	3. Chapter 3

**Lydia**

Peter Hale's downtown apartment was nothing like Lydia imagined. She had always assumed that it would have a sparseness similar to Derek's loft but instead it was filled with stylish furniture and expensive looking art.

She shouldn't have been there. It was late and it was dark and she had just helped Stiles break in.

Her flash-light flitted across the room spending more time studying a wall painting of a dark stormy coastline rather than searching for clues to the identity to the so-called 'desert wolf'. The painting was beautiful yet sinister, very much like the man who owed it.

"Lydia! It would be great if you stopped admiring the art collection of the local sociopath and help me look for clues" he aggressively whispered across the room.

"It's hard when I have no idea what I am looking for. Why am I here anyway and not Malia? Surely she'd have a better idea of what to search for" Lydia bickered back.

She watched as Stiles sighed and raked his fingers through his hair frustrated with her questions. They all knew that Malia was too impulsive. She would have ripped through the apartment like a whirlwind, running with the smallest of leads.

Lydia understood that the best way to help the girl find her mother was to find some substantial information, and there was no one better to do that than Stiles. His mind seemed to work differently than everyone else's. She was in awe of how quickly he could make connections and solve puzzles.

He walked over to where she stood gently resting his hands on her shoulders, to gain her attention.

"You are here because you are smart and level-headed and you always think of things and see things that I don't. You and me have always made a good team Lydia." She felt a warming in her chest under his touch.

When he let go and turned back to riffling through drawers Lydia could still feel his hands on her shoulders. It made her realise just how long it had been since they had last touched. They used to touch all the time. Stiles would bump shoulders when catching her up in the hallways. He would grab her hand to show her something or pull her into embrace when she was upset.

She missed that contact they shared. She had not realised until now just how incredible the feeling of having Stiles' arms wrapped around her had been. She closed her eyes and took a moment to remember the experience. She could still smell that soapy scent that was specific to him and the heat of his chest pressed against her face.

"Lydia!" came another hushed shout, forcing her out of her little daydream. She quickly pushed away the thoughts and ran over to help him look for clues.

Stiles had pulled out letters, papers and photos from cupboards and drawers and they now lay strewn across the floor. Her flash light hovered over them looking for anything he had missed. It fell on a photo. She knelt to study it closer.

The image was full of people. Lydia thought it looked like it had been taken at some sort of festival. A music festival maybe. Peter was their in the foreground laying back on his elbows against a field of yellowing grass. It was strange to see a genuine smile on his face instead of that cold calculating smirk she was used to seeing.

How old must he had been on the photo? He didn't look much older than she was now. He was surrounded with what she assumed were friends. Five others sat and posed for the photo, Three of them girls.

One of those pretty faces could be who they were searching for. Lydia looked at each in turn hoping to recognise some hereditary similarities between them and Malia but she couldn't see anything.

Behind the principal group stood masses of festival goers. Strangers captured on camera. People living along side them in the world who they will never meet. Most were just out of focus shapes in the background, the majority turned to face a big black stage in the distance.

But there was one face, that seemed to be looking over at Peter and his friends. A face that looked vaguely familiar. Lydia cursed as she struggled seeing in the darkened room. Her flash-light giving more glare than illumination over the shiny surface of the photograph.

After tilting at an angle that gave a better look, she could see it was a woman with long dark hair. Lydia closed her eyes and let the image fill her head hoping to put a name to the face. The woman was a lot older than Peter so Lydia tried to imagine what she would look like now. Then she knew. A cold shiver ran down her body as she opened her eyes.

"I'm pretty sure this is…."

"What?… did you find something?" Stiles turned stumbling towards her with urgent recklessness .

Lydia placed her finger by the woman in question and watched as he studied the face. Even in the dark she could see Stiles expression change. His eyes widened and grew more serious as he too recognised the face. He looked up and met Lydia's gaze.

"Araya Calavera!"

She nodded sadly. They both sat in the dark taking in the new information. Araya Calavera, the Mexican hunter who tortured Scott and held them all captive was there, in a photo that could possibly lead to finding Malia's mother.

Stiles took the picture from his hands and she knew what he was doing. He was trying to work out where the picture was taken. But it didn't take a genius to work that one out. There was something unmistakable about the landscape. The whole thing had a kind of … Tequila glow about to it.

We're going back to Mexico!" Stiles finally stated out loud. A sudden panic ripped though Lydia's mind

"You can't go back there!" she said, surprising herself as the words came out of her mouth.

"What are you talking about? I _have_ to." he asked looking confused at her words.

Lydia felt a little sick. She had spoken out of fear. Words that were supposed to have stayed in her head. But she was scared. Scared for him. It seemed strange to feel that way. They always headed straight towards trouble without a second thought, but now all Lydia could see in her head was Stiles holding that Samurai sword against his chest willing to sacrifice himself to save others, and that moment he stepped into the puddle of gasoline risking his own life to help Scott. She plunged her head into her hands at the imagery.

_Arghh! the thought of something happening to him, the idea of him dying was….driving her insane!_

Wait! Hadn't he once said the same thing to her. She tried to think back to that time_. _What were the words he used? _If she died he would literally go out of his freaking mind._ It had seemed overly dramatic at the time but now….Now she got it , now she understood what he was feeling.

"Lydia?" She looked up to Stiles

"Tell me what did you mean I can't go back" he prompted still waiting for her to answer him.

"You can't go back , I can't risk losing you. You're…" she paused trying to find the right words.

_You're the one who's always there. You're the first person I want to ring everyday. You're the only person who I can tell anything to. You're the one person who knows me best._

"You're…..my best friend" she eventually said

There was silence between them and Lydia couldn't bear to look him in the face although she could feel his stare.

"I am?" he quietly asked after realising that Allison had always filled that role, Allison who should still be there in her life, should still be there in all their lives. That loss still hurt so much.

Lydia took the chance to look up at him and could see a hundred questions brimming behind his eyes. He was about to say something but there was a noise.

They both heard it and their heads whipped to the front door. Someone was trying to get in.

Stiles swore a few dozen times scrambling to gather all the papers off the floor and throwing them into the nearest open drawer. Lydia frantically looked round for somewhere to hide but there wasn't time to go far. She pulled him over to a small door under the staircase and pushed him inside. Just as she got the door closed behind the both of them, they heard the front door of the apartment open.

They both held their breaths while crammed into the pitch black tiny space. Lydia's leg was at an awkward angle, she would have to move it soon before it started to hurt. They listened as two voices fill the apartment. Both of them recognisable.

"It'll be five minutes. I just need to grab something then we can go back to the loft" they heard Derek say.

"This is a pretty nice place, maybe we could stay longer than five minutes and make out a little" Braeden said.

Lydia held her breath further. The last thing either of them needed was to be stuck listening to Derek get down and friendly for the next however long.

They heard movement and giggling that gradually sounded more distant. The pair must have moved to a different room. Lydia took the opportunity to move her leg. She twisted around feeling Stiles' arms around her. His instinct had always been to protect her and she wondered if he had even realised he'd wrapped his arms around her the minute they entered the small space.

Her movement brought some awkward shuffling in the dark.

"Jeez Harry Potter never seemed to have this much trouble" Stiles whispered trying to straighten out his long legs unsuccessfully.

Lydia would have normally found a witty comeback, but she hadn't really heard what he had said. In her new position she could smell that soapy scent she had missed so much. She could feel his steady breaths on the back of her neck. Heat began to rise over her body and she thanked God that it was dark and he couldn't see the flush she felt in her cheeks. Lydia couldn't stop her body relaxing and she melted into his hold.

The voices returned into the room.

"No way am I doing _that_ in my Uncle's house Brae. It just too damn creepy" they heard Derek say.

Braeden seemed to reluctantly accept his decision much to Lydia and Stiles gratitude. They listened to the couple get ready to leave but Braeden seem to stop.

"Hey what's that? she had found something on the floor and picked it up.

"Some old picture of Peter with my Mom. Looks like a concert or something" Derek said, with little interest in his voice.

Lydia felt Stiles' grip tighten around her. Braeden had in her hands the only real clue to finding Malia's mother. She could feel Stiles silently begging the girl to leave it where she found it.

His reaction made her realise that all the begging in the world wasn't going to stop him going to Mexico and she had no right to try and stop him. He was doing all this for Malia. He was doing this for his girlfriend.

Finally they heard Derek and Braeden leave, and followed shortly behind. Stiles had grabbed the photo and shoved it inside his hoodie pocket before they headed to the Jeep.

He pulled the Jeep out into the street and headed away from the apartment and the confusing last couple of hours. Lydia wound down the window and happily breathed in the cool night air.

Each breath brought more clarity. She was starting to have feelings for Stiles and that wouldn't end well. She had watched a monster take over Jackson, she had seen Aiden die. If she let Stiles in she was afraid she couldn't handle it if something happened to him. Maybe it was better to keep her distance for a while just until she could get a handle on the way she was feeling.

"So Am I dropping you off at home?" Stiles asked

She thought about that for a moment. If she went home she would end up going to bed thinking about him. Thinking about being pressed up against him in that cupboard under the stairs. Not a good idea. She needed a distraction. Looking at the clock on the dash-board, she noticed that it wasn't that late and she knew that Deputy Parrish was on the night shift.

That was distraction enough. She looked back at Stiles taking him in one last time before speaking.

"No, drop me off at the station"


	4. Chapter 4

**Stiles**

Stiles hadn't realised the Jeep had stopped outside Scott's house until he heard Melissa tapping against the car window.

Her face was full of concern as she looked at him through the glass. She had been calling his name for the last few minutes but he had been in a kind of trance. The events of the evening with Lydia, playing heavy on his mind.

"Stiles! It's really late, is everything ok?" she asked.

He looked over at Scott's mom. She was dressed in hospital gear and holding her car keys. He presumed she had been called into work.

"Yeah, I just need to speak to Scott for a minute" he replied climbing out of the vehicle.

"Of course you do" Melissa sighed with acquiescence. Then scanned her watch noting the incredibly unsocial hour.

She really should think about setting some boundaries around acceptable behaviour but it was 'Stiles'. He was almost like a second son. She just couldn't say No to the boy who had always been there for Scott.

"Well you know where he is and I seem to remember you have your own key" she conceded then climbed into her own car to set off to work.

Stiles entered the McCall house and headed for the bedroom he knew nearly as well as his own. He walked in without knocking ready to shake his friend awake.

"Hey Scott I really need to talk…" Stiles stopped abruptly at the scene he was presented with.

Scott was awake, very much awake. He was halfway through undressing his girlfriend. Right in the middle of pulling Kira's shirt over her head.

"Seriously dude! Your Mom hasn't even left the driveway yet and you're at second base"

Kira screamed and fell off the bed at the shock of seeing Stiles stood in the doorway.

"What the Hell Stiles!" Scott shouted, embarrassment clear in his voice as he climbed over the bed to check Kira was ok and help her back on with her clothes.

Intruding on an intimate moment hadn't seemed to bother Stiles as he continued to stand in the doorway. He had more important things to discuss.

"I really need your advice Scott"

Scott glanced over the his bedside clock ready to give his best friend an earful at the rude late night interruption but there was something about Stiles' lack of composure that made him stop.

"I think that means its time for me to leave" Kira announced suddenly feeling that she had become the third wheel in the room.

"No, no, you don't have to leave. You're kind of one of the guys so you might be able to help" Stiles said instantly regretting his turn of phrase, as he looked at the slight hurt look on her face.

"Not that I think of you as a guy. It's just that you're part of the group and you're on the lacrosse team and easy to talk to…definitely not a dude though. If anything I think you're pretty hot. You have that sexy Japanese schoolgirl thing going on and …."

"Stiles!" Scott yelled stopping his friend digging himself deeper into trouble with his nervous rambling.

"What is it that you want?" he added pointedly.

Stiles could see his friends expression harden. His eyes grow darker with impatience, the wolf in him beginning to make an appearance.

"Ok, Ok" Stiles said with his hands up in kind of an apology at objectifying his best friend's girlfriend. He paused then trying to organise masses of thoughts in to something he could verbalise.

He looked down at Scott and Kira who were now fully clothed, sat on the end of the bed, ready to plea his case.

"So…I've had a really weird night with Lydia" he began and watched as his friend narrowed his eyes with suspicion

"With Lydia….what were you doing with Lydia?" Scott asked.

Stiles instantly felt the photo of Peter and the music festival in his hoodie pocket. He couldn't tell Scott about that. About his decision to go back to Mexico. He knew the Alpha would insist on going along and Stiles couldn't let that happen. Allison's dad may have struck a deal with the Calavera's to leave Scott alone but he didn't that would still apply if his buddy was standing in Araya's own back yard.

"I err…we were….following up a lead on the identity of the desert wolf" he said trying to keep everything vague.

"…and she was acting like she was 'into' me. Like actually really liked me" he said remembering the moment Lydia pressed herself up against him in that tiny space under the stairs.

He could feel an erratic heartbeat that took his breath away just thinking about it now.

Scott rolled his eyes then seemed to pull his hair with annoyance.

"Lydia! I can't believe we are back to this thing with Lydia. I thought we had gotten past this Stiles" his friend said clearly recalling years and years of obsessive stalker-like behaviour Stiles had carried out in hope of getting the girl of his dreams to notice him.

But he needed Scott to understand that this time it felt different. This interaction between him and Lydia was more than him looking desperately for something that wasn't there.

"What exactly has she done to make you think that she had feelings for you?" Scott asked with very little patience in his voice

"Well…she kind of hugged me, and there was a way she looked at me in class the other day and…." God, the evidence sounded pretty weak when he said it out loud.

Scott was staring at him with a kind of sad knowing expression. Trying to tell his friend that he was once again reading into something that wasn't there.

"She said I was her best friend" Stiles said, trying to add weight to his argument. Scott just nodded soberly.

"That would make sense. Since….Allison you've been there for Lydia, I get how she would see you as a best friend, but that doesn't automatically mean she wants to get in your pants, dude" Scott lectured

Stiles looked up to the ceiling, deep in thought. There had been one more moment that had made him consider Lydia's feelings. That was the sheer panic in her face when he mentioned returning to Mexico. He had known that look. He had displayed that look himself. But he couldn't tell Scott about that one. It would reveal the Mexico plan and that couldn't happen.

In the waiting silence Scott reluctantly spoke. Regret in his tone as he asked the question.

"Is everything all right between you and Malia?"

That brought Stiles' attention swiftly back from the hypothetical's and 'what if's' swirling about his head.

"Everything is fine, why would you ask that?"

"It's just that since you got together with Malia, the whole persistent Lydia 'thing' had stopped and now all of a sudden it's back" Scott said pointing at his friend, indicating the return of all the nonsense.

Stiles' demeanour changed at Scott's words. He slumped back into a chair over by the computer, feeling guilt at thinking about Lydia when he had a girlfriend back home. His head fell into his hands.

"Do you still like Malia?" Scott asked pushing the conversation, trying to get to the bottom of what was really going on.

"Yeah, I like her, she's great" Stiles said honestly.

"Do you _love_ her?"

Stiles looked down at the floor shaking his head "No" he mumbled quietly.

"Do you think that you could eventually _love_ her?"

Stiles this time looked his friend in the eyes, guilt brimming in his own. He didn't need to give an answer, It was clearly written in his face. He doubted he would ever be able to give Malia his heart.

"Maybe all this talk of Lydia is just your brain's way of telling you to end it with Malia " Scott announced sympathetically.

"No no. That's not going to happen" Stiles convinced himself.

The simple fact was he had no intention of ending things with Malia. He just couldn't do that to her. He might not love her but he did care about the girl. She had been through so much in her life and he just wanted to help her through it.

But all his friends words were making sense. Self doubt over Lydia's actions had started to set in. He really wanted to believe that this time it felt different. But now he wasn't so sure.

A cough sounded in the room and Stiles looked over realising Kira was still there sitting quietly. She had listened to everything without making comment but now seemed to want to weigh in on the conversation. She approached her words nervously.

"I know I don't know you as well as you know each other but I have always had the impression that Lydia is a very confident and opinionated person"

It was a fair assessment of the strawberry blonde and Stiles waited for Kira to continue.

"She's the sort of person that when she wants something she just goes straight out and gets it"

Stiles just stared at Kira as sudden realisation sunk in. Her words were so true. He remembered how Lydia had set her sights on one of the wolf twins the minute she saw them in school and didn't stop until she had one and she was doing the same with Deputy Parrish.

He had his answer. Once again Stiles had deluded himself that Lydia Martin had feelings for him. If she did then she would have surely told him. He felt like a fool for thinking otherwise.

Stiles stood up and apologised for ruining Scott and Kira's night, thanking them for talking him down from the 'Lydia ledge' once again.

It was time for him to stop all this nonsense and move forward with his life. He needed to concentrate on more important things like helping his girlfriend get some of her family back.


	5. Chapter 5

**Lydia**

The dress was dark green and came to just above her knee. Lydia smoothed out the material that hugged her body and admired how it looked in the mirror. It was a far cry from the floaty, flimsy mini skirts she normally liked to wear. This dress was more mature, classy, just like the man she was hoping to catch with it.

Things had been going well with Deputy Parrish or 'Jordan' as she had started calling him. He was smart and charming and they seem to get on well together. They had spent hours looking through the bestiary trying to discover some basis for his ability to survive being engulfed in flames, but it was hard. The best they had to offer at the moment was Salamander or Phoenix.

She had to admit she was hoping for Phoenix. Too much Harry Potter had her believing that the Deputy might have the ability to heal people with just his tears. And she couldn't help thinking that dating a Phoenix would sound so much more awesome than dating a Coyote.

_Wow! That sounded really bitchy._

Lydia scolded her reflection in the mirror at the cruel comment aimed at Stiles' girlfriend. Her unchecked jealousy wasn't fair to Malia. It had been a good few weeks since the night Lydia sat in the Jeep acknowledging her feelings for the Sheriff's son and on the whole she was managing it well. Being with Jordan Parrish helped, concentrating on him allowed her to control the way she felt about Stiles and keep their friendship in tact, which was more important to her.

Evidence of that friendship was sitting on her wrist and glistened in the mirror's reflective light. It was her birthday and some hours earlier Stiles had stopped by the house to give her a birthday gift.

He had greeted her with his usual nervous energy and kissed her on the cheek.

"So I got you two presents" he announced passing over petite boxes that were infinitely smaller than the time he turned up with a parcel too large to get through the door.

"You could have just brought these to the party tonight" she replied gratefully accepting the gifts.

Stiles seemed to look away and shrugged at that idea. Maybe he just wanted to give them to her alone.

Sitting down on the end of the bed Lydia set to work opening the first of the two gifts. Stiles stood over her watching with a grin as she tore away tissue paper on the tiny parcel. Her fingers pulled out a small shape from the paper and held it up towards Stiles.

"This….. this is my eighteen birthday gift?" she questioned letting the small piece of plastic catch the light.

"I remember you told me I was your best friend so this makes it official"

Lydia had shook her head at the joke gift. It was one half of those broken hearts. The ones that say 'best friends forever' on them. It was pink, it was plastic and looked like it came out of a child's toy machine at the arcade.

"What about Scott, won't he be jealous of this" Lydia kidded

"Well we just won't tell him" Stiles whispered as though the whole exchange was a secret between the two of them.

His cellphone had started buzzing before Lydia had time to open the second gift. She watched as he seemed to grow a little pale reading the text on the phone.

"Ahh Lydia I've got to go, my Dad's on the warpath" he had said turning to leave. She heard him shout he would see her at the party as he headed out the front door.

Friends!. The plastic half a heart in the palm of her hand confirmed it. That was how Stiles saw her. No more following her around like a lost puppy, no more trying to get her attention. They were friends and that was it. Lydia had felt a heaviness in her chest as that fact registered. She shouldn't feel sad, this was what she wanted.

Sometimes she wondered what it would be like to be with Stiles as more than a friend. To explore that chaste kiss they had once shared in the locker room. To feel his arms around her in passion rather than protection. Sometimes she wondered what it was like to be Malia.

But those thoughts never lasted long. She couldn't seem to stop worrying that something bad was going to happen to him. And she knew if that was the case, being more to Stiles' than just a friend would not only break her but completely ruin her. And everbody knew that the definition of ruined was something that can never be mended.

Her hand had closed around that plastic heart and she touched it to her chest. Being friends was good enough. It had to be, because she really couldn't do without him in her life.

Unwrapping the other gift revealed a silver bracelet. It was delicate and beautiful and something she would have picked for herself. A reminder to just how well that boy knew her. She fixed the plastic heart on to the piece of jewellery so it acted as a charm and smiled down at her favourite birthday gift as she placed it on her wrist.

That brought her back to standing in front of the mirror checking her reflection for a final time. The green dress to attract the man she wanted and the bracelet to remember the boy she couldn't have.

"Hey are you ready to go?" Kira asked standing in the doorway. Lydia nodded and then followed her friend to the party

A decent sized table was dwarfed by Derek's huge loft. Lydia's friends were seated around it and rose to greet her as she arrived through the door. Stiles was the first to approach as she stepped towards the group.

"Wow! you look…..I mean you always look….. But tonight you…" His inability to finish his thoughts made her cheeks burn a little and she found herself touching the heart on her bracelet reminding herself that he was just a friend.

She thanked him and quickly turned to Scott and Liam, using them to hide her blushes. All the people she cared about were in attendance. Kira, Malia, Derek and Braeden. Even Mason, who she was getting to know after they had spent an evening hiding from Berserkers together.

"I'm so glad we kept this party small" she announced holding up a glass from the table to toast the group.

" Wait! What?!" Liam blurted out causing everyone to turn and look at him. The freshman had an expression of confusion and guilt across his face as he looked at everyone in turn.

"Liam, what did you do?" Scott warily asked his little wolf-in-training.

"Hey, I'm new to the school. Stiles told me Lydia's parties were legendary so I may have passed the invite on to a couple of people" he said his hands up as though it wasn't his fault.

Derek's ears seemed to prick up at that point and he rounded on the young Beta concerned for the well-being of his beloved loft.

"How many is a couple?" the wolf almost growled

Before Liam could answer there was a knock at the door.

* * *

><p>An hour later the table they had gathered around could no longer be seen amid a wave of people. Music boomed off the walls and the atmosphere was slowly growing in intensity.<p>

Lydia found her way to a raised area near the front door and cast an eye over the crowd. She wasn't angry at Liam for inviting most of the high school to her private party. All she wanted was for everyone to be happy and from her current view-point she could see that they were.

Scott and Stiles seemed to be demonstrating some kind of dance routine to a very embarrassed looking Malia and Kira. The two girls were trying to hide their faces from the boy's truly terrible 80's kid 'n play moves. But they were laughing, all of them, and it was a joy to see. Stiles momentarily caught her eye and smiled across the room before going back and attempting a 'Hammer shuffle'.

She wanted to be down there with them but Lydia had felt a little sick. Maybe it was the heavy body heat of the crowd or the loud resonating bass bouncing off the walls, but all of a sudden she didn't feel at her best. Distancing herself from the crowd seem to bring relief so she stayed where she was.

The front door opened in her peripheral vision and she turned to the welcome sight of Jordan Parrish standing in the doorway. He looked pretty good in jeans and a shirt. It made him appear a little younger and a little more accessible.

He inhaled sharply at the sight of her causing Lydia to remember the effort she had put in to making her self look more mature. From the expression on his face it seemed the work had paid off.

"God, Lydia you look amazing" he said unable to hold back a smile. But that smile quickly started to vanish as he looked beyond the girl to the 'rager' developing in the background.

She watched as he scanned the room and could tell that he did not see what Lydia could. The room was filled with people just having a good time. If you tilted your head away from the music you could hear the laughing and singing coming for the party goers. But all Deputy Parrish saw was a room of underage kids with open alcohol containers.

"I can't come in there Lydia, if I do I'll probably have to arrest everyone" he said with a little annoyance in his tone.

Lydia wasn't about to let the guy just leave. She had put in a lot of effort to build up the relationship they now had. The dress was for him, she had been waiting all night for him to arrive. He wasn't going anywhere. Walking up close to where he was stood Lydia whispered into his ear so not to shout over the dim of the crowd.

"It's my eighteenth birthday Jordan, just give me fifteen minutes then you're free to arrest every single person in the room" she begged.

Parrish studied her for a moment considering the request. The fact that he hesitated to give a reply revealed that Lydia had already won him over. She stepped back and held out a hand to him. He looked down at it for a second then readily took it, letting her lead him up the metal stair case to the upper floor.

Another unsettling feeling came over Lydia as the pair stood alone in the quiet hallway. The earlier sensation of sickness had gone but there was something else there in the pit of her stomach. It didn't take long to recognise the emotion and she desperately tried to push it away. This couldn't be happening now. She wasn't going to let it.

In an attempt to delay the inevitable Lydia leaned up and kissed the Deputy. He was a little taken back from the sudden contact but thankfully seemed to settle into the embrace. It wasn't long before she felt one of his hands on her hip pulling her closer into him.

She couldn't deny that it was a good kiss, it brimmed over with confidence and experience. So different from the first kisses she'd experienced with her high school boyfriends. Wanting to take it further, Lydia guided him over towards a door hoping it opened into an empty room.

But the minute her hand settled on the door knob an icy shiver ran the length of her body. The unsettling feelings had returned. Her head thumped painfully and she felt that familiar dread of death come over her.

She looked down at her hand gripping the door handle tightly. The silver bracelet Stiles had given her glittering at her wrist. She wanted to turn and leave the place right now but that was not how the Banshee curse worked. There was a compulsion to open that door to see what was on the other side.

Deputy Parrish called her name a few times but she could no longer hear anything. Her hand pushed open the door slowly revealing a vision of an underground tunnel. Lydia swore she could smell the rank odours and feel the cold air on her face as she stared down into its darkness. At the far end she could see two boys. Their backs were turned to her and she couldn't make out their identities.

"Turn round" she heard herself whisper desperate to identify the two people.

But the figures didn't move. Something bad was going to happen to these people and she couldn't seem to name them in order to be able to warn them. In the next moment the tunnel started to shake. Huge vibrations rattled through her body and still she couldn't see who the two boys were. Rocks and rubble tumbled from the roof until everything including the figures were buried deep underneath it all and then everything went black.

Lydia stepped away from the door. Her whole body shaking at the vision she'd just experienced. Once again she felt helpless. She couldn't help those guys or even warn them.

There was only one thing that Lydia Martin did know how to do and so she opened her mouth and screamed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Just wanted to take the quickest of moments to thank those you have taken the time to read or comment on this story. It is always a pleasure to hear from you. Thanks again**

* * *

><p><strong>Stiles<strong>

The music in the loft was so damn loud there shouldn't have been any possible way that Stiles heard the scream. But he did.

After all these years he'd kind of tuned himself permanently into Lydia's wavelength. So even though the wail was distant and faint, he heard it and flat-out sprinted to get to her, taking those metal stairs three at a time.

He saw the scene as soon as he reached the top step, Parrish was trying to calm a very agitated looking redhead. Stiles' need to protect the girl was so ingrained that he'd instinctively launched himself at Parrish.

"What the hell did you do to her?" he bellowed only to feel the Deputy's strong hands forcefully push him away

"I didn't do anything to her Stiles! I…I think she had one of her banshee…visions" Parrish replied with that composure he always seemed to possess.

Stiles took a step back feeling regret at his overreaction. He knew Jordan Parrish hadn't done anything to Lydia. He was a good guy who clearly cared about the girl. If anything he deserved an apology and Stiles would have readily given him one if Lydia hadn't gleaned all his immediate attention.

Her petite frame was facing towards the wall, leaning in with so much pressure it looked like she was trying to pass through the solid brick. Her forehead was pushing against it and Stiles stepped closer to see flecks of blood on her fingers as though she had clawed at the plaster work. The girl was muttering something with frustration as she kept her place.

"Hey Lydia, what's going on?" Stiles tentatively asked whilst trying to move her injured hands from the wall. But she just shrugged away his efforts.

Her eyes were screwed shut and Stiles could tell she was trying hard to concentrate on something within her mind.

"I can't see who they are, I need to know, I need to know" she whispered intensely, thumping a fist against the wall.

Whatever she was trying to achieve, was causing the girl to hurt herself and Stiles yanked her away from the wall to stop it happening further.

"Stop this! Just stop it" he ordered as she pulled and pushed out of his hold.

"I need to know, I need to warn them, I can't see their faces…turn around, just turn around" Lydia continued to mumble, then her free hands started to pull at her hair in defeat.

Stiles stepped in again to stop her hurting herself but she wilfully evaded his clutches stumbling until she was kneeling on the floor.

"Lydia, please stop, look at me" he begged crouching down in front of where she had fallen but the girl just wouldn't comply.

The muttering continued on. Stiles didn't understand it but she just repeated the same things about not being able to see faces and begging someone to turn around. Running out of options he took hold of her face in his hands and forced his friend to look at him. A blank stare returned his gaze, she was back in her vision, replaying it over and over trying to see something more than it would allow.

It hurt his heart to see her that way and he had no idea how to bring her back.

"LYDIA!" he shouted into her face then shook her by the shoulders hoping a shock to the system would bring her round but she was still staring right through him. There must be another way, something else he could do, maybe another kind of shock. _Throw cold water on her or…._

There _was_ something. Something that worked on him when he needed bringing back from a panic attack. A kiss! That day at school, Lydia had told him that holding his breath had calmed the attack but it had been more than that. It was the shock of suddenly feeling her lips pressed to his that had really done the trick. Maybe the same would work now.

He didn't think about the consequences, just took her head back in his hands and leaned in and kissed her.

A short, sharp, shock to the system.

But she hadn't frozen as he had done that day in the locker room. Instead Lydia kissed him back, gently, purposely. She didn't hold her breath either but seemed to be slowly breathing life directly into Stiles. The smell of her hair, the taste of her lips. She felt so damn soft under his touch. He was supposed to be helping her but in that moment he was lost, lost within her.

Stiles didn't know how long it took but eventually his brain kicked in and he pulled away from her hold. That blank stare of hers was gone and _his_ Lydia was back. He could see the green within her hazel eyes shine as she looked at him. There was indeed shock in her expression together with confusion. He imagined some of it was from her own actions as much as with his. And there was something else there in her eyes, something a little darker, something that looked like desire.

Scott's voice suddenly echoed in his head. Words that his best friend had told him a thousand times about his feelings for the girl sat in front of him. _'You're looking for signs that aren't there. _Well he could say with absolute confidence that the way Lydia just kissed him wasn't just a 'sign' but a freaking time square billboard.

He should be over the moon that Lydia had finally showed him some affection but he wasn't. There was a tightness in his chest, something just didn't feel right.

Lydia's hand gripped a handful of Stiles' shirt pulling him back into her embrace but he stopped it. His own hand covered her small fingers and he knew suddenly what the bad feeling was.

He shook his head ever so slightly when Lydia once again tried to pull him close. He couldn't do it and he mouthed the reason to her. One word. 'Malia!'

As much as he desperately wanted to fall under Lydia's spell, to explore where that kiss could lead, but he couldn't do that to Malia. It just wasn't fair. She deserved better than that.

Understanding began to register in Lydia's face as she released her grip on Stiles' shirt. Feelings of guilt started to show between them and Stiles realised it wasn't just Malia that would be hurt by this but Parrish too.

Deputy Parrish who had been standing right with them when it all started. Stiles lifted his head to the left to see the man in question still there, looking down at them both.

'Oh No!'

There was sadness in the guys face mixed with a kind of awkwardness. When Parrish nodded to a point directly behind where the two of them sat, Stiles quickly realised what the awkwardness meant.

A wave of sickness churned in Stiles' stomach as he turned around knowing exactly what he would find behind him. At the top of the staircase, the one he earlier raced up, stood Scott, Liam, Derek and….Malia. All of them heard Lydia's scream just as he had, only they hadn't needed a life long connection to the girl to experience it, just their heightened predator senses.

'Oh God, what had he done?'

He'd ruined everything with one simple action. Ruined Lydia's relationship with the Deputy, Ruined his own with Malia and God knows what it had done to his friendship with the strawberry blonde.

He looked back at Lydia for the briefest of moments. Everything was such a mess. They needed to talk about her Banshee apparition. About how they can help stop someone from possibly getting hurt. He wanted to stay and check that she was feeling better after hurting her hands on the wall. And he wanted to ask her about the kiss. It was all so important.

But all that would have to wait. First of all he needed to talk to Malia.

The girl in question was no longer by the staircase. She was all ready out of the loft and half way to disappearing into the night.

"Malia, just wait a minute" he called out into the evening air when he eventually managed to find her.

There were things he needed to tell her, things he needed to try and explain. Stiles just wanted to make things right. But as he finally caught up to where she had stopped walking, all thoughts vanished from his brain.

The girl had tears in her eyes. The strong and feisty Coyote he had gotten to know pretty well had just thrown him completely off his guard. Malia was on the verge of crying and it was all his fault. Stiles had expected arguments, even been prepared to be punched a few times but he had certainly not expected her to look so…..hurt.

"I always knew that you didn't feel about me the way you feel about her" Malia said trying hard to keep her composure.

Stiles' stomach dropped at her words. He hated that she thought that way but hated it even more that it was true. He hated himself. Malia deserved so much better than his sorry ass. She was a force of nature who was truly amazing.

He could stand there and tell Malia that he loved her and that he didn't care for Lydia. Could tell her that everything she had witnessed had all been a mistake but he didn't want to lie to her.

This was the end, any minute now she would walk away from him and it would be the end of 'Stalia'. He faced the inevitable and said the only honest words he could think of.

"I am so very, very sorry" he implored but watched as she just nodded at his apology then turn to leave him standing in the street.

"Where are you gonna go?" he called after her hopelessly

"It's not your concern anymore Stiles" she shouted without turning around.

He'd lost her as a girlfriend but he just wasn't ready to lose her from his life altogether. Malia was not the kind of girl to go home and mope around her bedroom. She was the sort of girl to disappear into the night and not tell a soul where she had gone.

He couldn't let that happen.

"Wait ! I know how to find your mother" he shouted into the dark and saw her stop instantly. The photo of Peter at the festival was still in his pocket and he pulled it out, lifting it into the air for her to see.

She cautiously came back over and studied the picture under the glow of a street light while Stiles told her the story of the festival, Araya Calavera and the planned trip to return to Mexico. Her fingers passed over the girls in the photo wondering if one of then could actually be the Desert Wolf. If one could actually be her mother.

A deep breath filled her lungs as se looked up at Stiles. The tears gone replaced instead with a new resolve.

"So what's the plan?" she asked

Stiles' heart lifted at her words. Too many of his friends had just disappeared from his life in recent years. Issac, Danny and Ethan. He really didn't want to lose Malia too.

"Well, we just need to decide who else we take to Mexico with us and think about when would be the best time to go."

Malia took less than a second to answer.

"It will just be you and me and we go right now" she declared.

Stiles stood and looked deep into her unyielding stare. He had stupidly told her everything he knew about the photograph. If he declined she would just leave and go on without him and that just wasn't going to happen. Malia Tate had left him no choice.

"Fine, let's go"


	7. Chapter 7

**Lydia**

It had just been a kiss. Seconds really, nothing more. The only contact had been his lips against hers and his hands cupping her face. But Lydia had felt it across every inch of her body. She had shivered and burned every time his fingers brushed against her cheek. Ached when the pressure of the kiss increased. It was like some kind of heavenly flu.

Lydia had come to terms with the fact that she'd developed an attraction to the Sheriff's son. But wherever her thoughts had led over the past weeks, she just hadn't been prepared for the power of that kiss.

Stiles had always been this guy filled with excitable and awkward energy. But as he pressed his lips to hers, there was no awkwardness or nervousness. His touch had guided and commanded and just left Lydia wanting more.

'_God, she wanted more'_.

"Ok, can you tell us about it?"

The question snapped Lydia out of her little trance. She looked up to see Scott standing over her waiting on an answer to his question. The blood drained from her face at the horror of having to replay the experience to her friends. It seemed a weird thing to ask. _Did Scott really want to know about the kiss?_

"What?!" she asked almost choking in panic and praying she have misheard Scott the first time.

"Can you tell us about your vision?" he elaborated, looking a little confused as to what was so difficult to understand about his first question.

Lydia let out the longest breath in relief. He was asking about the Banshee thing. Of course that's what he meant. That was one traumatic event that Lydia _would_ have no problem trying to find the right words to describe.

Gathering her thoughts together she took a moment and noticed her surroundings. Things had been a blur since Stiles had left to find Malia. The loft was now empty. It had cleared pretty quick after Parrish threatened to impose an ID check on a room full of high school drinkers.

Derek was forcing Liam and Mason to pick up the trash littered around the room and Kira was sitting beside her on Derek's Sofa. She held Lydia's hands in her own checking for injuries from when she had tried to claw at the wall.

"So there was a tunnel….." Lydia began, a shake to her voice. The evening's events had certainly taken their toll.

Closing her eyes she pictured the vision in her mind and continued to describe everything in as much detail as possible. Agitation once again began to rise as she tried to remember the two boys in the tunnel that just wouldn't turn and face her.

A hand rested gently on her shoulder providing a calming presence and Lydia opened her eyes to see Jordan by her side. A stab of guilt passed through her as their eyes met for the first time since she had kissed Stiles in front of him.

"Can you tell how old the boys are?" Jordan asked in lieu of any identifying features Lydia was able to supply.

"Maybe our age or a little older" she replied with uncertainty. There was a deep frustration within her at having no real helpful information. The Banshee curse was awful, she desperately didn't want to just be the girl who found the dead bodies.

"Are there any clues where this tunnel is?" Scott added hopefully. The tiniest bit of information would be a start to finding these boys before the cave-in of the tunnel. Lydia miserably shook her head, she really had nothing to offer.

Scott sighed heavy with disappointment as he looked around the room. There wasn't any more that could be done at that point so he called it a night. The strong wolf took hold of Kira's hand pulling her up effortlessly from the sofa. It was time to go home.

"Sorry about your birthday party Lydia" he said, quietly wrapping an arm around his girlfriend bidding the members of his little pack goodnight. Lydia watched as they left the loft just as Stiles had done earlier.

"Come on Lydia, I'll give you a ride home" Jordan offered, holding forward a hand to help her to her feet. She shamefully accepted the offer reaching out to his hand.

It was easily one of the most uncomfortable rides home Lydia had ever encountered. If it hadn't been for the occasional chatter on the police radio then they would've been sat in silence. Lydia was looking for the right words to say to Jordan about her unforgivable behaviour with Stiles. But nothing seemed good enough.

A quick glance out of the passenger window revealed familiar surroundings. She was nearly home. She needed to say something quick before it was too late.

"You didn't deserve that tonight, I don't really know what happened ….with Stiles but I'm truly sorry"

Jordan took his eyes off the road long enough to study her face. She wasn't sure what he was trying to find as he stared into her eyes. Truth? Remorse? But eventually he revealed his thoughts.

"I would watch the two of you come down the station trying to solve the latest mystery and I could see in every look , in every word spoken just how much that kid cares about you. When it comes to you, Stiles wears his heart on his sleeve"

Lydia listened to him speak, not sure what his point was, but let him continue anyway.

"But I never thought you felt the same way about him. I mean I could see he was important to you as a friend, but I never saw anything more…until tonight. When he walked away from you to pursue Malia, it was written all over your face. You're in love with him!"

Love! _Was it love? '_Oh God, it was all too much'.

She quickly buried her face in her hands. How could she talk about this stuff to Jordan? This was the man she had been actively pursuing for months. The man she had kissed minutes before kissing Stiles. It was all so messed up.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" she mumbled into her hands but Jordan just sighed with acceptance of the situation.

"It's probably for the best Lydia. I like you, I like you a lot but I'm a lot older than you and we are at different points in our lives. You and Stiles, even when you're just friends you seem to fit together".

Lydia lifted her face to look over at him. His whole personality brimmed over with a kind of maturity Lydia was not used to seeing. It really did show up the age difference between them. Jordan Parrish was smart, hot and a little bit mysterious. When she thought about her perfect man, his qualities ticked all the boxes, except one. He just wasn't Stiles.

Thankfully there still seemed to be a friendship between the Deputy and herself despite everything that had gone on. Lydia leaned over and took hold of his hand, relieved to feel him squeeze hers back. It had been an emotional night. She wasn't sure what the future held for her and Stiles but was so glad that she hadn't lost the Deputy from her life.

It was inevitable living in Beacon Hills that they would have to rely on each other at some point and it made it a hell of a lot easier if they didn't hate each other.

* * *

><p>It was midday when Lydia finally awoke. She felt so tired that even though the alarm clock suggested she'd overslept by hours the strawberry blonde still didn't want to get up. Pulling her zombie-like limbs up and over the edge of the bed her feet touched down on to paper instead of carpet.<p>

The crunch of paper took a minute to register in her sluggish mind but eventually Lydia focused and saw dozens and dozens of sketches littered across her floor. She grabbed the one under her foot and smoothed out the creases to see a pencil drawing of the tunnel from her vision.

Standing up Lydia walked over and picked up a few more sketches to see they were all the same. Grey images of the mystery stone tunnel. She had drawn them but had no memory of doing it. They must have taken her hours, no wonder she was so tired.

What did it mean? Why had she drawn it so many times? Lydia leaned over for her cell phone and automatically dialled Stiles' number. He'd be able to work it out. Her finger hovered over the call button when she suddenly realised what she was doing.

She couldn't call Stiles. What if Malia answered? If Stiles was off begging for the girl's forgiveness, she doubted a call from Lydia would help matters. What if Stiles answered and told her that the kiss was a mistake and he wished it never happened?

There were just far too many 'what if' scenarios that didn't end well. She would need to find help with the sketches from someone else…Scott!

It was the weekend so she knew just where to find him. Practicing Lacrosse down at the fields. Lydia pulled the Toyota up at one end of the grass and sure enough, there he was with Kira, firing shots at goal. It clearly was more of an opportunity to fool around than to seriously improve their game techniques. Every action seemed an excuse to touch each other. She could see their smiles even from a distance.

Scott turned and spotted her sat in the car and jogged over leaving Kira to do some real target practice.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked climbing in to the passenger seat and Lydia quickly handed him one of the sketches of the tunnel.

"This is what I've been seeing in my vision. Even though I have no idea what it is, I thought maybe someone else might recognise it now that it's down on paper"

Scott held it in his hands and studied it thoroughly but in the end he just shook his head with disappointment.

" I have no clue Lydia, but I'll take it over to Derek's later, maybe he can see something the rest of us can't, or maybe Braeden, she moved around a lot, it could ring a bell with her".

Lydia smiled with a little hope in her heart for the first time as Scott turned to make his exit from the vehicle. She wanted to let him go and carry on with his practice but there was something at the forefront of her head that was screaming to get out.

"Is Stiles not with you today?" She blurted out brightly trying to make it sound like a general observation instead of the desperate attempt to find out where the boy's head was at.

"No he's not, I've had a couple of texts. He's spending some time with Malia" Scott answered with one leg outside the vehicle readying his departure.

Lydia felt her stomach churn with unease. Surely it was a good thing that he was trying to mend things with his girlfriend, so why did it hurt some much? Her face must have exposed her pain because it made Scott pull himself back into the car and close himself in.

"Stiles is my best friend, my brother. He has tortured himself for years that something could happen between the two of you and last night something most definitely did. So just tell me straight. Do you like Stiles?" There was a protective tone to the Alpha wolf

Lydia just nodded in confirmation, she didn't know why it was so hard for her to say the words out loud.

A memory was playing out in Scott's mind. It had been of a recent conversation with his best friend. Stiles had walked into his bedroom interrupting Kira and himself getting busy. He had begged Scott to believe that Lydia was giving him signs that she liked him and Scott had just dismissed it all. But after last night he realised that Stiles really had seen a change in Lydia. Last night they had all seen it.

"You've liked him for a while, haven't you?" Again Lydia just nodded to Scott's assumptions

"So why didn't you just tell him Lydia? You know how he feels about you" there was frustration now in his words.

Well for a start Lydia didn't want to be the girl to come between a boy and his perfectly lovely girlfriend but there was a bigger reason than that. Fear!. She was scared of handing her heart over and something happening to Stiles. She was sure it would crush her. How could she explain that to Scott?

"_No Charger have I and no sword by my side, Yet still to adventure and battle I ride_"

Lydia quoted a line from an old hymn she had read about a few months ago.

"It's from a song about brave knights on trusty stead's with swords and shields" she began to explain

"And that's how I see you and Derek and Malia. You all have these special strengths and skills that help you battle against the bad guys. These extra powers that will help you out of trouble.

But Stiles, has none of that. He has no horse or sword, _yet still to adventure and battle he rides._ He's just human but every time there's trouble he follows you straight into the fray. I can't stop worrying that something bad will happen to him"

Her jaw tightened while she tried to finish her thoughts.

If I tell him how I feel, If I open up and let him in. If we start seeing each other, then I….I don't think I could handle it if something happened to him. I think the pain would be too much."

She thought Scott would tell her not to be so stupid, tell her nothing was going to happen to Stiles but instead he gazed out of the car windscreen at Kira. At the girl whose endearing clumsiness was slowly winning over his heart. While a smile appeared on his face as he watched her, Lydia could see that his eyes were somewhere else and when he looked back at Lydia she could see that they were glassy.

"You don't have to be dating someone to feel destroyed when something bad happens to them…believe me I know"

Tears welled in her own eyes instantly realising he was talking about Allison. When she died, they hadn't been together. Scott was with Kira by then and Allison was moving forward with Issac. As much as he enjoyed being with Kira, he would never ever forget his first love.

Scott got out of the car leaving Lydia with a lot to consider. She watched as his shoulders straightened on approaching Kira and Lydia knew he was putting away his painful memories of Allison.

Opening the glove compartment, she pulled out the stack of tunnel drawings ready to take one over to Deputy Parrish when they all tumbled to the floor. Her eyes were quickly drawn to one she hadn't noticed before. Bending over to pick it up she looked at the distinct difference. It wasn't sketched in grey pencil but in orange. The change made all the difference. It reminded her of that photo of Peter Hale at the festival. The colour once again had that 'tequilla glow'.

The tunnel was in Mexico!

Lydia was all ready diving out of the car to tell Scott about the revelation when Stiles' voice filled her head. Scott couldn't go anywhere near the Calavera's or they would kill him.

She remembered Stiles telling her this when they were discussing the plan to go to Mexico to find Malia's mother. That's when an icy chill passed over Lydia accompanying a feeling of dread. She knew then without a doubt that Stiles and Malia were in Mexico now.

A tightness covered her chest as she pictured Stiles in that tunnel from her vision. It was an image that wouldn't go away. Her hands shook as she tried to steady them against the steering wheel. And she knew then that Scott had been telling the truth.

You didn't have to be dating someone to feel destroyed if something bad happens to them.


	8. Chapter 8

**Just another quick thank you for all the great reviews and comments and to all those who have read the story.**

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><p><strong>Stiles<strong>

Stiles cricked his neck then pulled the Jeep back out on to the road. His shoulders and neck ached from sleeping awkwardly in the driver's seat. A quick glance in the rear view mirror revealed that his now 'ex-girlfriend' was still snoozing in the back.

After Lydia's party Malia had insisted they left for Mexico right away and she hadn't been kidding. A quick stop home to grab a change of clothes and then they were out on the road. They had driven through the night until the point that Stiles couldn't keep his eyes open and then pulled into a lay-by to rest awhile.

He could see the sky start to change colour on the horizon as a new dawn was beginning, then heard Malia stir. A fleeting sadness passed over him as he realised he wouldn't get to wake up next to her again. He wouldn't get to help warm her body when she was cold and he wouldn't get to be the 'little spoon'.

Deep down he knew they wouldn't have stayed together in the long run and he really, really wished it hadn't ended the way it had, but he couldn't deny he would miss those special moments they had shared together.

"Hey" she said sleepily whilst climbing over into the passenger seat.

Stiles just smiled in return and concentrated on the road. Conversation hadn't been the best between them since she had caught him kissing Lydia. It was like they suddenly didn't know each other anymore.

"We've probably another couple of hours before we get there" he said trying to fill the growing silence between them.

Malia gazed out of the window watching the sun gradually climb the sky, something clearly on her mind. Eventually she turned back to Stiles.

"Are you thinking about Lydia? Malia asked

"What?!"

"Well, you said her name a few times when you were asleep just now, so she's clearly on your mind"

Stiles swallowed hard at the uncomfortable subject matter. It was strange that a girl who struggled to get to grips with human emotion seemed to have quickly mastered the art of the guilt trip.

"I have a reoccurring dream about giant bunnies taking over the world but it doesn't mean that I spend my days thinking about it." he took his eyes off the road to look at her.

"I can't control what I dream about, Malia" he sharply added

The girl turned to stare back out of the window. She had accepted his answer but he could tell there was doubt in her mind. He could push the subject, argue his innocence but he didn't. The truth was he _had_ been thinking about Lydia Martin. He'd been thinking about her to the point of distraction.

Stiles was thankful the road they were travelling was a straight one, otherwise he would have surely careered off the path by now from the mass of thoughts that crowded his mind. That kiss with the strawberry blonde had messed everything up but at the same time that kiss had been….. out of this world.

He shook away the confusing thoughts choosing instead to concentrate on forming a plan on how to get Araya Calavera to tell them the names of the women in the Peter Hale photo. So far all he had was the skull playing card that would gain them entrance to the Calavera's club. After that he just had to hope his quick wit and brains would kick in.

They arrived in La Iglesia a little before noon and checked into a hostel on the edge of town. It wasn't a large place and Stiles suspected that the Calavera's cast their web across most of the inhabitants. Malia would need to keep a low profile if she was to stay safe.

The hostel was a flea pit but it was cheap and the owners didn't seem to care about anything other than the cool hard cash placed in front of them. The pair dumped their bags on the less than desirable looking bed and with their new frosty relationship it seemed best to get straight down to business.

"Ok, I'm going over to the club and see what I can find out" Stiles announced checking his pockets for the playing card and photo of Peter Hale and the mystery women.

"Right, just give me a second to change my top" Malia replied unzipping her bag

"Woah, you're not coming, you have to stay here" Stiles asserted

"Like Hell I'm staying here, it's _my_ mother we are trying to find out about, I have a right to go" she argued, squaring her shoulders a little as though readying for a fight.

Stiles turned his back on her for a moment trying to keep calm by cursing under this breath. _How did she not understand the danger of this place? _To excuse the pun, they were like a couple of lambs that had wandered into a den of wolves.

"You can't come Malia, They are Hunters. They live by a code: To hunt those who hunt them. That means it doesn't matter what you say to them or what case you put forward, all they will see is those blue glowing eyes of yours and they'll hunt you down" his hands were out in front of him trying to help emphasise the importance of his words.

But the girl was stubborn, she was shaking her head as though it wasn't the truth, as though she was untouchable and nothing could happen to her.

With the women in his life Stiles had learnt to pick his battles and this was one he was adamant on winning. The Calavera's were just too damn dangerous to make mistakes and he hadn't come all this way to see Malia die.

"They will KILL YOU Malia, you are NOT coming with me" Stiles roared down at the beautiful coyote.

She actually recoiled a little at his tone. It was filled with authority, commanding even. Stiles had somehow managed to momentarily channel his father. His words had the strength a Sheriff needed to keep control of an entire town.

He had won his case and Malia backed off. They talked briefly about the plan then Stiles left her there in the hostel while he crossed the town to find Araya.

He breathed slow and heavy as he approached the club door. For a moment he wished Lydia was with him. There had always been something about her smile that helped calm him deep inside and make every situation seem a little more manageable. But she wasn't there and he had to do this alone.

A nervous smile was all Stiles could manage as he greeted two large guys at the club door. It revealed just how out of his depth the clueless high school student really was. His hand shook as he held out the skull card waiting anxiously for something to happen. Then the door opened and Stiles was pulled into darkness inside.

There was no music to be heard, no dancing bodies in sight. Before he had chance to consider any more differences from the last time he'd been there, a fist flew through that darkness connecting squarely with his face. Stiles went down fast, his vision swirled and blurred from the contact and he fought to stay conscious.

Stiles felt his body pulled up and then carried through the dark empty club, his feet dragging across the floor. Through unfocused vision he could make out the centre of the nightclub and the bar he and Lydia had once stood against and dust danced in the streams of daylight as they passed by a window.

Eventually he was pushed down into a chair, the same one he had sat in before. When he and Lydia had tried to pay for Derek's release. Stiles managed to lift his head a little and caught sight of the woman he had come to see through his dizzying vision.

"You have surprised me Mr Stilinski, there are very few who manage to stay conscious after a blow from Mateo" The petite but powerful woman said from behind the large solid wood desk.

Stiles tried to answer but blood poured from his mouth as he opened it. He wasn't convinced that he was completely conscious. There was a crippling pain in his ribs to match the one to his face and he had no memory of how he got it.

"This is extremely bad timing, Mr Stilinski, It is not wise for you to be here. Have you come here alone?"

Stiles thought he could hear a threat to her tone and found himself on the defensive

"You can't kill me, it's against the hunters code to kill a human" Stiles managed to spit out among all the blood.

Araya leaned forward and sneered at the boy.

"I am not just a Hunter, I'm also a business woman and in that role the rules are a lot less unclear as to what I can and can't do."

Stiles understood her meaning. Hunters needed money to fund their work. The Argents had dealt arms for a living and he had a feeling the Calavera's gained their income from something just as dangerous. He tried to sit up a little straighter and groaned as the throb of pain ripped through his body.

"I just came for some information" he weakly asked, knowing the total mistake he had made going there. He was so very much out of his depth.

Araya laughed out loud at the kid's nerve to ask for favours.

"Why would I do anything for someone who willingly protects unnatural beasts for a living" she sneered.

"Those 'unnatural beasts' are my best friends. They are good folk who do everything they can to help save people" he wheezed still managing to find some fighting spirit within himself.

The boss lady sat back in her seat for a moment and seem to study the teenage boy sat in front of her. She had to admit he looked kind of impressive. He had loyalty, he had guts and he could take a punch.

"You know I have a grand-daughter just a couple of years younger than you. She's very pretty and a born leader, if you ever manage to sort out your 'loyalties', you'd make quite the addition to the family"

Stiles looked up, horrified at the whole idea of marrying in to a family of hunters and it seemed to make Araya smile even more.

"What information is it that you want?" she asked starting to sound a little bored with the conversation now.

Stiles leaned forward and with great pain managed to pull the photograph of Peter Hale and the festival from his pocket.

"Just the names of the women in this photo"

Araya took it off the desk and studied it, nodding slightly as her eyes passed over the faces. It was clearly an acknowledgment that she knew who the women were. Her gaze lifted to connect with Stiles and her expression grew serious.

"I'll give you the names but I want something in return."

She pulled something from under the desk and placed it on top. The clunk it made as it was set down had a distinctive sound. Stiles couldn't see the object as it was wrapped in material but he knew without a doubt that it was a gun.

"I just want you to take this and leave it in a bar on the edge of town, on your return I will have the names of the women waiting for you. I'll even throw in their last known whereabouts"

Stiles considered the options. He had gotten himself in some stupid situations over the last couple of years but this was something new. If he touched that gun then he was undoubtedly involving himself in a very real crime, one that might result in innocent people getting hurt. If he didn't do this and went back to Malia empty-handed then the little coyote would surely march across town to get her own answers.

There was a very tangible tension in the town. He had noticed it as soon as they arrived. It had that 'OK Corral' kind of feel about the place. Something was about to go down and he really didn't want to find out what. If he did this job then they could get the women's names, leave and never look back. His decision was made.

"Ok I'll do it".

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><p>He kept his side of the deal and took the wrapped gun over to a small bar on the edge of the town. It had been a relatively easy task. The hardest part had been getting his battered and bruised body to transport him that far. But it was done and Araya had come through on her end too.<p>

"I've got it" Stiles called almost falling through the door of the grubby hostel. Malia jumped to her feet running over to save the boy from face planting the floor.

"Oh my God, what did they do to you?" she cried, helping him sit on a plastic kitchen chair and staring at the swelling and bruising across his face. Their new chilly friendship quickly took a back seat as she grabbed a handful of ice wrapping it in a towel and holding it gently against his face.

"I've got it. Malia, I've got the name of the woman who could be your mother" he said ignoring her concern for his beaten body.

Stiles handed over the photograph back to his ex girlfriend. She held it in her hand whilst using the other to keep the ice against Stiles' face. Her expression was a mix of concern and hope. She had finally got what they had come for but at what cost. Stiles was a mess and he had done it all for her.

She looked down at the photograph and saw the three women. Two had black crosses drawn over them.

"That's Talia Hale, Derek's mother. She died in the Hale house fire" Stiles began pointing at the first crossed out face then moved on to the next one.

"And that's Olivia North. The Calavera's killed her about five years ago. She was Peter's cousin, so unless the Hale's liked to keep things within the family I think we can rule her out of possibly being your mother. That leaves this woman. One who is very much still alive"

Malia stared at the woman while listening to everything Stiles had learned from the Calavera's. She could feel a hope filling her heart at the revelations. When he finished she kissed him on the forehead completely filled with gratitude for him.

Stiles tried to stand but had run out of energy. Malia was at his side in a second and helped him over to the bed. He lay back for a moment ready to rest his hurting body and closed his eyes hearing Malia hovering above him.

"Lydia Martin will never know how lucky she is to have you in her life" he heard the coyote say before he was forced to give in to exhaustion and passed out cold.

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><p>Stiles couldn't place the time of day when he finally woke and the hope that everything had been a dream quickly ended as he pulled himself out of the bed only to still feel the pain from the beating he had taken.<p>

"Hey Malia, are you here?" he called out whilst shuffling over to the kitchen. There was no reply. He looked around the small room then out into the corridor but she was nowhere to be found.

The clock in the kitchen read 9am and he just couldn't believe he had been asleep a good eighteen hours. It made him start to worry what he had missed in all that time. It made him wonder just where the hell Malia was.

_What if the Calavera's had found her? _

Panic ripped through Stiles as he searched for his cell phone, but he couldn't find that either. He took a deep breath that throbbed deep in this bruised ribs and waded though the hostel shouting her name, praying the girl had just gone to get breakfast or something.

The Jeep was still there, 'thank God' He opened the door to find his cell phone in the foot well. It must have fallen there when they had arrived. Stiles grabbed it ready to call Malia but noticed a half-dozen texts and missed calls waiting for him. They were from Lydia. He wondered what they said but before he had time to see, a call came through.

"Malia! Are you ok? where are you?" he almost shouted down the phone.

"Yeah, yeah I'm perfectly fine, better than fine actually I found her Stiles, I've found my mom"

Stiles held his breath for a moment as he listened to her speak. She sounded so happy. She sounded unburdened.

"Look I'm really sorry I left but you needed to rest. I tried to wait I really did but I needed to know if it was her, I just needed to know. I hope you can forgive me".

Stiles just breathed out relief as she continued to tell him about meeting her mother for the first time. He turned and leaned back against the Jeep, his eyes adjusting to the early morning sun then caught Araya Calavera sat across the way, outside a café, looking straight at him.

After ending the call to Malia he placed the phone back in the Jeep. The messages from Lydia would have to wait just a little longer. He hobbled across the street and was invited to sit down by the hunter.

"You really shouldn't be here Mr Stilinski, I thought I explained yesterday that this wasn't a good time to be in La Iglesia" she said sipping a cup of coffee that smelt amazing.

"Yeah well I would have been long gone if your goon haven't knock the living crap out of me yesterday" he bit back

"Mateo is not a goon, he's my nephew and I can easily ask him to come out here if you don't start talking to me with a little respect" she declared making Stiles recoil slightly.

She pushed a cup of coffee over to him and he welcomed the rich taste as the hot liquid ran down his dry throat.

"I'm sorry it has come to this but I can't have you running around the streets today, I need Chris Argent on my side at the moment and that won't happen if something happens to you"

Stiles sipped more of the coffee having no idea what she was talking about. _Sorry it had come to what? Why wasn't it a good time to be in La Iglesia? _He looked around the town then and remembered the tension he felt yesterday. The streets were quiet in fact they were completely empty. He felt his stomach churn with a string of bad feelings and he quickly looked over at the Jeep. Looked over at his escape.

"I'm going to leave now" he declared but Araya just looked at him, a sad smile on her face

"It's too late for that Mr Stilinski"

Stiles rushed to his feet only to find his head swim and his vision waver.

"What….what the hell did you do to me?" he yelled down at the older woman but he knew as soon as his eyes fell on the coffee cup.

She had drugged him. Everything seem to slow down as he saw Mateo appeared from inside the café. His body didn't want to respond as he tried to get away. The drugs were quickly taking effect.

Mateo gripped him by the arm and began to drag his helpless state inside the building.

Stiles tried to fight back but it was useless. The last thing he heard was distant gunfire before everything faded to black.


	9. Chapter 9

**This was supposed to be the last chapter but it ran a bit long, so there is still one more to come. X**

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><p><strong>Lydia<strong>

"Aaarggh!" Lydia yelled down the phone with frustration as Stiles' voice mail kicked in …again.

"Why won't he answer his damn phone?" she cried from the passenger seat of her Toyota.

Jordan looked over from behind the wheel as he steadily drove down the interstate. His ever-present composure in stark contrast to Lydia's frantic state. He wasn't convinced that Stiles and Malia were in danger. He tended to believe that the simplest solution's were usually the right one's. In this case Stiles and Malia were spending time together and he'd either misplaced his phone or the battery was dead.

"Let's just hope when he _does _pick up his messages _that's _not the first one he listens to" the Deputy said, regarding her frustrated cry down the phone line.

Lydia absently smiled at his words, but every second she couldn't determine her friend's safety, just convinced her more that Stiles was in that tunnel from her Banshee vision.

Still holding the phone Lydia tried to call Malia, her hand shaking as she held it to her ear waiting for the call to connect, but it just rang out. It was turned off. Which as she remembered was common practice for the pretty coyote. She stared down at the useless piece of tech willing for one of them to call her.

Choosing to distract her mind, Lydia looked over at the Deputy. He really was the epitome of composure. She presumed it was his military training, and she was fairly sure you needed a cool head if you were disarming bombs for a living. It was good to have him with her, His calmness couldn't fail to rub off on her as they continued on the journey.

For all the gratitude she felt for him, her gut still twisted with guilt at how she had used poor Jordan. Lydia had flirted with him for weeks and weeks in order to divert the very real feelings she had for Stiles.

Lydia looked down at the silver bracelet Stiles had given her for her birthday and touched the pink plastic BFF heart that hung from the centre. She was done hiding how she felt about the hyperactive boy . She doubted she could hide it even if she wanted to . The kiss in Derek's loft had put paid to that. Scott knew how she felt and so did Jordan. And once she knew Stiles was safe she would have to tell him too. Even if he chose to stay with Malia. She just needed to let him know how she felt.

The car slowed on approach to the town. Jordan leaned forward and peered out of the windscreen, some of that calm resolve disappearing. Something didn't seem right about the place. It was too quiet. They saw Stiles' Jeep and pulled up by the side of it. Lydia jumped out but Parrish was quick to pull her back.

"What are you doing? He's here somewhere, we need to find him" Lydia shouted trying to pull out of the Deputy's grip.

Jordan's eyes were flitting in every direction. He was taking in all of his surroundings.

"Something's going on here, Lydia" His stare fell on an upstairs window a little further up the high street.

"Up there!" He pointed to the direction and Lydia followed his line of sight staring and seeing nothing for a good few minutes, then suddenly as she was about to give up something moved. A figure passed by the window and within a second a mass of gunshot fired from across the street. They heard shouting but Lydia couldn't make out what was being said.

"I think….I think we might have arrived in the middle of some kind of turf war or something" Jordan surmised from what he knew about the Calavera's and how they might make their money.

Lydia sat back in her seat wondering how they were going to get through the town like this. She had no idea where to start looking. She gazed out through the windscreen at a café across the way. It looked deserted just like everything else did but there was something on the floor in the street just in front of the building. It glistened in the sunlight. A set of keys, most likely car keys but that wasn't what had caught Lydia's eye. A pink plastic half a heart hung off the key ring. Identical to the one on her silver bracelet. They were Stiles' keys.

The BFF heart had been a joke gift. She hadn't for a second considered that Stiles had kept the other half. But the fact he had, meant everything. Her mind focused on the heart and the café. She was not leaving this place without Stiles. A cold determination flowed through her veins and she dived out of the car, running towards the café.

Lydia heard Parrish scream her name as she dashed the few yards. Her hand reached to gather up the keys at the same time gunshots whistled past her head. She had never run so fast in her life getting inside that café and thanked God when she saw Jordan come through the doors safely just a little after her.

They both breathed heavily from the sprint and scanned the room as they took a minute to catch their breaths. It was a small place and they could quickly see that every exit led back on to the street. They were stuck in there for the time being unless there was something else they had missed. A door next to the shop counter grabbed Lydia's attention. It looked like a storage cupboard or basement. She walked over and quickly opened it to feel a familiar blast of cool air and an unmistakable smell.

She had found the tunnel in her vision.

Steps lead down from the door into darkness and Lydia found her hands tremble as she gripped the railings taking shaky steps down.

"He's down here, I know it" she whispered to Jordan who slowly followed her down.

The door behind them swung shut as they reached the bottom plunging them into darkness. Lydia let out a little squeak as her eyes fought to adjust to the black. She reached out and felt Parrish by her side and light suddenly illuminated in front of her from the torch on the Deputy's phone.

He directed the beam around but she already knew what it looked like. The stone walls and low ceiling were exactly the same as she had seen in her head. Lydia pulled her own phone out to add extra light and walked slowly down the path. It was then that they saw him.

Stiles' still body lay slumped on the floor. Parrish rushed over to check on him but Lydia was frozen to the spot. She tried to call out his name but it was like her heart had stopped and she couldn't find breath to speak.

"He's alive!" Jordan called out feeling the warmth of Stiles' body travel through the hand he'd laid upon his chest.

Lydia's stilled heart kick started and she rushed over to help lift the unconscious teenager to his feet. Stiles seemed to rouse a little as they struggled to carry him through the tunnel.

"I won't be late for school, just give me 10 more minutes" Stiles mumbled as the two all but dragged him to safety. Jordan stopped and held him up to the wall after hearing him speak

"Stiles, where's Malia? Hey Stiles talk to me" he questioned the confused looking kid.

It took a while for him to answer. Stiles couldn't seem to focus his eyes, his brain was not processing things fast enough.

"She's with her mom, she left me" he said starting to slip out of Parrish's grip and slowly back to unconsciousness.

"Is she safe?" Jordan quickly added desperately watching as Stiles slipped further away

"Yeah..sssafe!" they heard Stiles get out before he passed out again. Lydia wrapped the boy around her small frame taking his dead weight thankful that they didn't need to rescue anyone else and could get out of this awful place.

But they hadn't got more than a few steps when a figure walked out of the darkness. It was Mateo, Araya's nephew and he didn't look like he was about to let any of them get passed him.

"Lydia take Stiles and go the other way, quickly" Jordan instructed, ready to take on the bulky looking stranger.

She pulled Stiles with all her strength back in the direction they had come then heard a rumble over her head. Something was happening above ground and it didn't sound good. Taking a moment to look behind her she saw the two men slowly disappearing into the darkness. She could no longer see their faces.

Then, everything happened just like in her vision. Another rumble from above ground, a lot louder than the one before and it shook the stones around her. They came tumbling down and she pulled herself and Stiles backwards out of range. Jordan and the other man were on the other side of the falling debris, gone from sight.

"Jordan! Jordan!" she screamed into the void. What had she done? She hadn't for a minute considered that one of the two boys from her vision would be Parrish and she had been the one to lead him down to the tunnel. Tears poured down her cheeks as she continued to call his name helplessly.

She clung to the unconscious Stiles, his strong heartbeat being the only thing stopping her from completely falling apart.

"Lydia?" she thought she heard her name and held her breath hoping to hear it again through the silence

"Lydia?" It was Jordan. She rushed to the rubble that stood between them.

"Oh my god are you ok?" she cried out. Unable to see anything past the pile of dust and stones that had fallen.

"Yeah, yeah. I think so, listen! I can't get to you and this guy here is hurt. You need to take Stiles and find another way out. I'll take this guy and try our chances back at the cafe" he said with a shaky voice.

Lydia didn't want to leave him. Just having him near made her feel more safe but her priority was Stiles. He was the reason she had come all this way and she would do anything to make him safe.

"Ok, Ok, just be careful" she found herself shouting over to Jordan, then hauled Stiles higher, wrapping her arms around his waist and struggled on through the tunnel away from Jordan. It wasn't long before her legs started to give way. This boy who she had given her heart to was just too heavy for her to carry much further.

"Please Stiles, wake up, wake up and help me get you out of here" she cried.

She could still feel cold air and knew that an exit had to be close but she just didn't know how far. Dropping to her knees and gasping at the bitter air Lydia was forced to rest. It was then that she heard Stiles croak something into the darkeness.

"Hey Lydia…" he sleepily said

"Oh thank god you're awake, you need to help me, Stiles. We need to get out of here" she frantically said but soon realised that he was far from being fully conscious

"The best dreams are always the ones with you in them" he slurred and Lydia realised that Stiles thought he was dreaming.

She managed to find the smallest of smiles in discovering that Stiles thought about her in his sleep. It seemed wrong that it should make her happy when there were more pressing matters at hand but she didn't care.

The smile changed into somethng else when she felt the teenager move closer, his mouth finding the curve of her neck and a hand moving confidently all the way up her thigh. His swift moves sent a shock of electricity to certain parts of Lydia's body and she pushed him away firmly.

"_Holy…?. What did he have them both doing in these dreams of his, it clearly wasn't innocent hand holding"_

"Listen there's no time for that kind of thing, we have to get out of here" she instructed the dozing boy, whilst trying to cool some of the heat that had rushed to her face from his touch.

Gathering all her energy she once again wrapped Stiles around her feeling some relief that his semi conscious body was managing to make efforts to walk. It speeded things up and eventually Lydia found a staircase just like the one at the café. She heaved them both up until they fell through the door into a daylit room.

Both lay breathless on the floor. Lydia's eyes were screwed shut from the sudden daylight but opened quickly when she heard what sounded like a dozen guns being cocked. A bunch faces looked down on her an array of weapons pointed in her direction.

"Hey it's Allison's dad" she heard Stiles suddenly mumble and Lydia looked up to see Chris Argent pointing a large desert eagle pistol at her face.

It took a few moments for recognition to set in and she watched Mr Argent pull back on his weapon a little, confusion filling his face.

"Lydia? Stiles? What are you doing here?" he asked genuinely puzzled but instead looked over at Araya for an answer.

The petite matriarch held her hands up in surrender at Chris' accusing face

"Look the kid just turned up here at the worst possible time. I got Mateo to work him over a little in hope that it would make him run for the hills. It was a bit of a shock to see him still here this morning"

Lydia was confused for a moment '_work him over' _What was she talking about? Then turned to look at Stiles. It had been so dark in the tunnel she hadn't seen him properly. But the sight of him now, nearly made her sick with anger. His face was so swollen and bruised. His shirt had ridden up a little when he fell to the ground and she could see more bruising around his ribs.

She looked tearfully into his drowsy looking eyes, anger bubbling up inside her. How could anyone do this to Stiles? How _dare_ anyone do this to _her_ Stiles?

Lydia scrambled to her feet, turning on a dime and launched herself at the petite boss lady. Chris Argent leaned out wrapping an arm around the redhead stopping her making contact with Araya.

"What else did you do to him you bitch?" Lydia screamed trying to pull out of Chris's grasp and finding a family of Calavera's gathering closer ready to blow her head off.

"She drugged him Lydia, it's kind of the Calavera's 'thing'. You quickly learn never to accept a drink from one of these people even if it comes in a sealed bottle" Chris told her holding her tight.

Araya looked back at Lydia tight-lipped with lowered eyelids. She had not enjoyed being spoken to in such a way and it was clear she was struggling to restrain herself. But it was fast becoming a war zone on the streets of La Iglesia and she needed Chris Argents help to win that war. So she bit her tongue.

"I did it to keep the boy safe, he'd missed his chance to leave town safely. The enemy was riding up the road and I couldn't have him running around the streets so I knocked him out until it was all over" Araya spat out her reasons, not enjoying having to explain her decision to anyone, let alone some mouthy child.

Lydia couldn't believe Chris Argent was buying all the crap Araya was spouting and she fought still to get out of his grip but he held her back tightly. A round of gunfire flew past the window demanding everyone's attention, taking the tension out of the conversation. Chris pulled Araya back aware that there were more serious issues going on than arguing about a couple of high school kids.

"OK, If you want my continued help you will let me get these kids out of town right now" he ordered.

The woman had no choice but to agree, things were getting out of control in the street and she needed all the help she could get. Chris lifted Stiles effortlessly to his feet one arm still around Lydia until they were out of the back door of the building.

They zig-zagged between the buildings looking for the safest way back to the car. Mr Argent seemed to know the streets pretty well and it wasn't long before they arrived back into the safety of the café. In there they found Jordan sat with the guy from the tunnel who Chris introduced as Mateo. He was sat on the floor with what looked to be a broken leg.

Jordan went to greet Lydia but recoiled a little when Stiles came into view. He too was shocked to see the boy's face in the daylight.

"Woah! what happened?" Jordan asked helping Mr Argent sit poor Stiles down on a chair.

"He! Happened!" Lydia shouted while pointing at Mateo on the floor. Once again she felt Chris pull her way from inflicting anymore damage on the man with a broken leg.

"Ok, let's get our priorities in order here. The Calavera's have managed to piss off a pretty important business associate, which means things are going to get a hell of a lot more messy here than they all ready are. Now you can stay here and kick the crap out of everyone that hurt your boy or your can all get out of this town and live for another day" Chris said with very little patience remaining in his voice.

Of course they were going to leave. They had got what they had come for and now they needed to get home. Chris agreed to cover Lydia, Stiles and Jordan as they made a run for the cars. But then he would have to leave them to try and get Mateo back to Araya and the others.

Jordan and Lydia held Stiles between them as they sprinted for the vehicles. A line of gunfire seemed to follow them as they went but stopped suddenly and they knew Chris Argent had taken the gunman out. Lydia pushed Stiles into the back of the Toyota, threw Parrish the Jeep keys then jumped behind the wheel of her car, pedal to the metal sending Mexican dust spraying in all directions.

It must have been a good five miles before Lydia managed to let out a breath and realised they had managed to get away safely. She called Jordan on speaker phone to make sure he was somewhere behind her in the Jeep and was relieved to hear his steady voice.

That's when she heard Stiles groan in the back seat and she glanced in the rear view mirror to see him struggle to pull himself into a sitting position. He winced holding his ribs as he moved about.

"Lydia?…where am I ? what's going on?" he croaked

"It's ok, you're safe now" she quietly told him while continuing to drive down the road.

He was quiet for a few moments and Lydia knew he was trying to put together what had happened. He touched his face, a memory of being punched.

"Did you…..come all this way to save me?" he asked unsure on what his own memories were telling him.

"Err…yeah" she replied honestly

"Why?"

Again Lydia glanced back at him unsure how to respond.

Why had she gone to save him? _Because he would have done the same for her. Because she couldn't allow the events in her vision to come true. Because she had fallen in love with him and couldn't bear to see him hurt._

Her eyes fell on the silver bracelet as she began to answer

"I came to save you because you're my best friend"

Stiles looked up, returned her gaze in the rear view mirror and smiled in gratitude, then put his head in his hands rubbing the drowsiness away.

"God, I love you Lydia Martin" he mumbled into his hands then sat back and closed his eyes.

Lydia held her breath wondering if she had heard right. He had just said he loved her. She imagined it was just meant in a friendly way. And he was still pretty out of it, so he may not even remember saying it, just like she was sure he wouldn't remember trying to 'feel her up' down in the tunnel.

Whatever the reason, Lydia would keep that comment close to her heart while trying to find the courage to speak those same words back to him.


	10. Chapter 10

**Well, this is the end of the story. I hope it is ok and if you have the time I'd really like to know what you thought. Thank you**

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><p><strong>Stiles<strong>

The Sheriff sat beside Lydia in the hospital corridor deep in conversation. He listened to her tell him everything she knew about the trip to Mexico. About how Stiles had travelled there to find information on Malia's mother. About his decision to go there alone in order to protect Scott and the others from a showdown with the hunters.

All the while the Sheriff sat, brow knitted with concern. Alternating between shaking his head, rubbing his face with his hands and looking to the sky. The man was at his wit's end. How many times was he going to have to arrive at the hospital to be told his son had got himself almost killed. He thought he had lived through the worst with the whole nogitsune thing, but his son continued to but himself in these situations.

He realised now there was no stopping Stiles doing these things. The boy would always fight for what was right, regardless of the dangers involved. As a father he would have to work out how to live with that and not get his heart-broken in the process.

"Hey there, are you ok?" the Sheriff felt a soft hand on his cheek, he looked up to see Melissa McCall crouching in front of him, full of concern. He had been so involved in his own thoughts he hadn't even realised Lydia was no longer sat next to him.

He was so glad to see Melissa at that moment. If anyone could understand what he was going through it was Scott's' mom. For all the years they had known each other she was still the strongest person he knew.

"Tell me how I'm supposed to keep doing this?" he begged, desperate for someone to give him all the answers.

Melissa just looked back at him, her eyes were filled with sadness and she forced a smile.

"Every time something bad happens to Scott I lie to myself. I tell myself that it is a one-off incident and it'll never happen again. It's the only way I can stay sane"

He took hold of Melissa's hand and squeezed it, a thank you for just being there and understanding what he was going through. Then he let her get up and go back to work.

* * *

><p>Stiles had been stuck in a hospital bed since arriving back home. Apparently Lydia had become a little concerned about his health during the drive back from Mexico. There was the three times she had to let him out of the car to throw up plus the conversations they shared that he just couldn't remember.<p>

He tried to protest as Lydia turned towards the hospital. The place really didn't hold the greatest memories for him. But out of the passenger window he caught the sight of Scott and his dad waiting and realised there was no escape.

After a night of painkillers and having fluids reintroduced to his system Stiles was feeling a lot more like himself. It had been a tough few hours. He had not only survived the Calavera's but also a pretty firm lecture from Scott, who had expressed disapproval at his best friends decision to go to Mexico alone.

He was also still waiting on his father's wrath. Stiles' dad had been in and out of the hospital room several times and had yet to verbalise the fury that was clearly bubbling up within the man.

Stiles felt pretty bad knowing all the worry he had put his family and friends through and the only thing that stopped him spending the night wallowing in his regrettable decisions was the view of Lydia sat just outside his room.

The beautiful girl had stayed at the hospital all night, on the bench just across from his door. She had scuff's on her knees and a rip in her jacket probably from hauling his ass through that tunnel. That strawberry blonde hair he loved so much was looking disheveled and he watched as her eyes grew heavy from exhaustion.

He had laid back in the bed, his own eyes growing tired but he fought to stay awake just to stare at the girl who had come to save him in Mexico. The girl who had kissed him twice, the one who had burrowed into his arms in that cupboard under the stairs. The girl who had actually become such an important part of his life.

Stiles have been in love with Lydia Martin since the third grade. But he realised that kind of love was intangible, some form of a fantasy. As he looked at her now and thought about what they had both been through together he realised his love for her had changed into something more, something deeper, solid, enveloping. His eyelids had given into the powerful lure of sleep and even though he could no longer look upon the girl resting on the bench he continued to picture her in his dreams.

"Grab your things son, I'm taking you home" the Sheriff said waking Stiles sometime the next day.

Stiles managed to find a smile as he woke groggily at the idea of getting out of the hospital. He pushed himself out of the bed slowly and went to pull on the clean clothes his dad had left on the bed.

"Oh. And by the way, you're grounded…."

He stopped momentarily while pulling the t-shirt over his head upon hearing the punishment but then sighed in acceptance. He more than deserved to be grounded for putting his dad through such worry.

"…..for a month!" the Sheriff finished

That got a little more reaction from Stiles. A month was a full lunar cycle. The whole of Beacon Hills could be burned into the ground within that time, it was too long, with that knowledge the inbuilt whiny teenager in him seem to come to the surface.

"A month! You Can't keep me home for a month, it's totally unreasonable….." Stiles stopped as he looked at his father. He could see the man fight to keep a lid on his emotions and realised he had just pushed him too far.

"I am trying Stiles. I am trying my best to come to terms with this path you're on, with the choices you make and will continue to make. " the Sheriff started to say, yelling at his son. Finger pointed in his direction trying to communicate the importance of his words

"The least you can give me is a month, 30 days when I can know that my boy is safe. 30 days of not having my thoughts run wild of the worst possible trouble you could be in. I get that I have to let you grow up Stiles, but just give me this last chance to have my little boy back"

There were tears in the Sheriff's eyes as he spoke and the pain he felt went straight to Stiles heart. As much as Scott and Lydia meant to him, Stiles knew that his dad was the single most important thing in his life. He had nothing to argue back with because he knew in reality he would happily take a year of grounding not to have his father worry for him, so he just nodded in response to the Sheriff request and continued getting dressed.

The Sheriff turned round checking nothing else had been left in the room while his son changed but turned back to see Stiles standing motionless, looking at the door, some of the colour gone from his cheeks. He couldn't explain the expression his son wore other than pained.

"Hey, you all right? Stiles? do you need to sit back down?" the Sheriff asked but got no response. He then followed his son's line of sight to the door. That's when he saw his Deputy, Jordan Parrish standing in the corridor. Young Lydia Martin was hugging him tightly. They watched as Parrish wrapped his coat around the redhead and walked her out of the hospital.

He felt bad for his son. He was in the right building to mend physical ailments but matters of the heart were a whole different story. He put his arm around Stiles shoulder to comfort him.

"Come on son let's go home".

* * *

><p>Sheriff Stilinski had introduced the 30 days of being grounded in hope to keep the boy out of trouble. What Stiles had failed to mention was that the most trouble he had been in over recent years had happened within school hours. Luckily the town seemed to be in a supernatural lull and Stiles was able to get through the school day without injury and spend the evenings at home for some 'quality time'.<p>

From talk in the cafeteria and between classes Stiles guessed that the lull in activity would soon come to an end. There was no news on Kate Argent so she was probably still out there planning something big, then there had been Peter Hale, who had begged for Scott to go over to Eichen house to see him. Apparently the man had some important information. Lastly there was Malia and her mother, the unknown entity, who would be returning to town within the next few weeks.

* * *

><p>The 30 day punishment came and went fairly quickly. On his first day of freedom Stiles found himself sat in the Jeep at the end of the school ready to drive himself straight home, even though he no longer needed to. He couldn't think of a better plan until he saw Lydia standing on the sidewalk. It looked like she was waiting on a ride home that hadn't arrived. Stiles wound down his window and shouted over.<p>

"Hey Lydia, you need a ride?"

She looked unsure for a moment as she looked down at her phone reading a text before answering. Stiles waited patiently and eventually got his reward. Lydia walked over and climbed into the passenger side.

"I'm supposed to be getting a ride from Kira but she's been held up" Lydia said as Stiles pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the house. This past month he'd hung out with Lydia at school but purposely avoided asking about anything that might steer the conversation towards her and the Deputy. For some reason it hurt more than seeing her with Aidan or Jackson. He wasn't sure why but it just did.

Lydia watched through the window as the town passed by and number of thoughts running through her mind. She turned back to Stiles and he could feel her eyes on him.

"It feels like within our little group we all have our roles to play. Scott is the leader, Kira's a warrior, Derek's this kind of werewolf encyclopedia and I'm like this warning system".

Stiles looked over briefly not sure what she was saying. He didn't really know what she meant by warning system.

"This banshee thing. It's a curse. All I see is death and I hate it. I don't have special skills or the ability to save people, all I seem to be able to do is warn of death" she said then rested a hand on Stiles' arm.

He felt goose bumps from her touch and wished to god that it meant more than the friendly gesture it offered. Instead he tried to forget the feel of her slim fingers brushing against his skin and kept his eyes on the road while she continued to talk.

"When I'm with you, it's different. I feel that together we try to make sense of what I can do. Find ways to help save people. It's like we are two halves that belong together, don't you think so? " he watched her look down at the pink plastic heart on her bracelet and it made him think of the other half dangling off his Jeep keys.

Lydia pointed at a Beacon Hills street sign as they passed by and continued to speak.

"Together we are like a flaming Beacon. I'm the structure that's only purpose is to warn people of danger and you are the beam of light helping them find a way to safety. That's your role Stiles, you solve the puzzles, you find light in the darkness. You light the way.

You light _my_ way and without you I just feel lost in the dark."

Stiles had stopped the Jeep by the kerb at Lydia's house and listened to her speak. How was he supposed to not fall in love with her when she said things like that. How was he supposed to stand by as just a friend when she had literally just said that they belonged together.

He stepped out of the Jeep to breathe in some fresh air and regain some composure. Lydia climbed out the other side and walked up the driveway to her house. She spoke about school as she walked forcing Stiles to get instep behind her to hear what she was saying.

He watched her long hair bounce across her shoulders and that short skirt sway around those thighs as she walked on. He knew then that he was in trouble. There was no getting past the fact that he wanted Lydia. He wanted her to be his and it was killing him to try to just be friends.

Lydia stepped up the narrow passage along side her parked Toyota. She had been talking the whole time but Stiles had no idea what about. All he could really think about was what she had said in the car.

'_It's like we are two halves that belong together'_

She stopped and turned round to face him and thanked him for bringing her home. Her hand once again moved to touch him, this time on his chest and Stiles seem to freeze causing Lydia to pull it away in confusion.

"You have to stop doing that" he said realising that he couldn't keep pretending that her friendship was enough for him

"Doing what, Lydia asked genuinely unsure what was happening.

"You know _what _Lydia. The way you touch me, the way you look at me sometimes, the way you kissed me back at your birthday party. I can't do it anymore. I'm sick of getting my hopes up just to watch you go off with some other guy. You know how I feel about you, so please just stop." His little rant had caused Lydia to step back until she almost touched the car behind her.

"How am I supposed to know how you feel about me Stiles? You've never actually told me, you've never asked me out"

Stiles stepped closer to the girl while he thought about what she was saying. Of course he had never asked her out. Rejection had been an almost certainty. He had much preferred to live in the fantasy world where hope remained, but he wasn't about to tell her that.

"Well, it's recently been pointed out to me that you don't usually wait to be asked, when you want something you just go out and get it"

Lydia leaned towards him, slowly placing her hand back on his chest. Her eyes lifted to meet his as she let her fingers slide across the cotton of his t-shirt until she could feel his heart beat underneath.

"What do you think I'm doing now Stiles? I've seen what I want and I'm trying my best to get it"

Stiles couldn't quite hear himself breathe anymore. Did she mean what he thought she meant? Did she want him? His hesitation seemed to force Lydia to convince him more.

"Your 10 year plan to make me fall in love with you has worked"

It all seemed too good to be true, just too much. He leaned into her so that their foreheads touched and closed his eyes. He wanted so much just to kiss her, but what happens if it wasn't real. Did she even understand just how huge this was for him?

"I'm warning you Lydia, don't mess with me on something like this" he whispered, truly terrified to make the first move.

The hand still resting over his heart slowly reached behind his neck and he felt Lydia pull him forward until she had her mouth pressed against his. The familiar taste of her lips wiped any doubt from his mind that this wasn't real. They were two halves that belonged together.

The soft feel of her skin against his made Stiles lean closer, a little too eagerly causing them to stumble until Lydia fell back against the car door. He couldn't stop, there was a need building inside him as he felt her hands grab tighter around his neck.

He pushed harder against her, wanting more, wanting to feel her closer. He was torn between the need to just devour the petite strawberry blonde or to slowly savour the moment for as long as possible. He tried for the latter but the heat coming off the girl was driving him crazy.

Pressed against the car door Lydia writhed under him, her hands finding their way under his shirt and grabbing at him fervently. It was all too much for Stiles and he swiftly grabbed her hips shifting her to the hood of the car. He heard her breath hitch under his touch and he slid his hands over her thighs pulling her legs around his waist. He now had that closeness he desired and slowly moved his lips so he could taste other parts of her body. Her neck, her shoulder.

He was so lost to the sensation of having the girl of his dreams wrapped around him that it took a good few minutes to actually realise she was calling his name.

"Stiles, Stiles, stop!" she called out breathlessly and he had to force all his energy to pull back from the redhead.

"What is it? did I do something wrong?" he called out equally out of breath

"You need to make sure I get home safely" she said

Stiles looked behind him at the front door to Lydia's house, totally confused by her comment. Why had she made him stop when she was already home. He turned back to face the very flushed looking girl perched on the hood of a Toyota.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked with pure frustration at her badly timed comment.

She shifted forward slightly, her eyes filled with desire.

"When have you ever stopped at the front door when making sure I got home safely?" she asked

It took Stiles a good few moments to understand what she was saying. He had never just walked Lydia to the front door. He had always carried straight on through to….her bedroom.

That was an invitation he wasn't about to pass up. He slid Lydia forwards off the hood.

"You're right, I mean who knows what could be waiting inside your house. Prada could be sitting behind the door ready to bite your head off, I think I had better see you safely inside"

Lydia smiled seductively at him and pulled him towards the house.

"Wait!" Stiles said just needing to ask one question, one that he may regret

"You and Jordan?"

Lydia shook her head.

"There is no me and Jordan, never really was" she answered "What about you and Malia?"

"Totally over, she deserved better than me" he said pulling Lydia towards him

"Woah, wait, don't _I _deserve better?" she quickly asked reading into his last comment.

Stiles looked down at the only girl he have ever really loved. He drank in everything about her. Those perfect lips, that beautiful hair. Her intelligence and her bravery. He held her face in his hands and spoke honestly

"I can be better Lydia, for you I _will_ be better"

She leaned up and kissed him again before guiding him into the house.

Stiles didn't know what the future held. What dangers were just around the corner or how those dangers would affect their relationship. But that could all wait.

Tonight he was following Lydia Martin through her house to hopefully finish off what they had started in the driveway.

Tonight Stiles had finally got his girl.


End file.
